The construction industry added 11,000 jobs in September, with data center projects driving much of the growth. Year-over-year employment is up 109,000 jobs, representing a 1.3% increase across the sector.
Bernie Sanders and Mark Takano have reintroduced federal legislation to reduce the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act. The bills (S. 5384 and H.R. 10323) would establish a new baseline for full-time work in construction and other industries.
Subcontractors waste time managing bid opportunities scattered across multiple platforms, emails, and phone calls instead of focusing on winning work. A centralized online bid board can streamline opportunity tracking and help subs respond faster to more bidding chances.
Construction companies need to adapt recruiting tactics to attract women to jobsites, where they bring valuable new skills and fresh perspectives to the industry. Creating a workplace where women can thrive requires intentional strategies for both attracting and retaining female talent.
The construction sector added 11,000 jobs, signaling continued growth in the industry despite ongoing staffing pressures. Labor shortages and workforce challenges remain significant headwinds that could constrain further hiring and project delivery.
Civil engineering is adopting innovative water management technologies to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and adapt to climate challenges in infrastructure projects. These approaches include smart monitoring systems, sustainable drainage solutions, and advanced treatment methods that help construction and facility managers optimize water use across building and site operations.
The Associated General Contractors of America is accepting applications for the 2027 AGC Awards, recognizing outstanding construction projects and industry leaders. Interested firms and individuals should submit their entries before the deadline to compete for these prestigious honors.
Load testing helical piles involves measuring the pile height before and after striking it five times with a sledgehammer to assess its performance. The simplicity of this field testing method makes it a practical quality control procedure for helical pile installations.
Buildcheck secured $12 million in funding to advance its AI-powered design review platform, with backing from DPR Construction's venture arm WND Ventures. The funding will support further development of the platform's artificial intelligence capabilities for construction design workflows.
Finding helical pile contractors for residential work is challenging because most manufacturers and installers focus on heavy-duty commercial projects with equipment too large for home foundations. Homeowners and builders need to search carefully to locate contractors willing to handle smaller residential pile installations.
September 2026 saw major robotics announcements at industry events including IMTS, ROSCon, and iROS, generating significant developments across the sector. The Robot Report compiled the ten most important stories from the month's robotics news and product launches.
Caterpillar will build a new $1 billion manufacturing plant in North Carolina to produce compact track loaders and telehandlers. The state secured the project with $85 million in incentives, expanding Caterpillar's existing manufacturing footprint.
Construction inherently involves human judgment and materials handling, making mistakes inevitable in the field. Reducing error frequency and responding effectively when problems occur are critical to building a sustainable career in construction.
Data center construction spending is surging at a 149% annualized growth rate since March, with August alone seeing a 7.5% monthly increase. The unprecedented scale and speed of this construction boom is challenging analysts' ability to fully understand its implications for the industry.
Boston Dynamics tested a new humanoid hand design by having engineers tape their pinkies and ring fingers together for a day to identify functional limitations. The experiment helped the robotics company understand what capabilities their new hand needed to perform real-world tasks effectively.
Keith Sonderling was confirmed by the Senate as the 31st Secretary of Labor on Sept. 30 with a 47-41 vote, making his acting role permanent. Sonderling had been serving in the position since April when his predecessor Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned.
Georgia Boot has introduced the TrailPoint, a new work boot designed for both jobsite and trail use. The boot features a dual-density EVA and Carbo-Tec outsole for underfoot protection and durability.
Vishay Precision Group will demonstrate custom sensing technology designed for humanoid robots at RoboBusiness 2026, addressing the need for accurate physical feedback as these machines enter construction and industrial work environments. Reliable sensor systems are becoming essential as humanoid robots transition from laboratory prototypes into real-world applications like factories and warehouses.
Keith Sonderling was confirmed by the Senate as the Secretary of Labor, earning applause from the Associated General Contractors of America. The confirmation positions Sonderling to oversee federal labor policy affecting construction industry workforce matters.
Even when robots have proper safety functions built in, they can still cause problems if they receive false or manipulated information. Construction teams need better testing methods to verify that robots won't blindly follow bad data.
A United Rentals employee fatally shot two coworkers and injured another before taking his own life during a police standoff at a Virginia facility. The incident underscores ongoing workplace safety concerns in the construction equipment rental industry.
Maven Robotics secured $100 million in funding to scale production of its mobile manipulator robot for industrial automation. The company aims to tackle repetitive and labor-intensive tasks on job sites through robotic automation.
The global AI adoption market is projected to reach nearly $40 billion within eight years, with North America capturing close to half of that growth. Midsized contractors can leverage practical AI applications to convert market hype into measurable return on investment.
ANYbotics has launched Shift, a platform designed to help maintenance teams conduct industrial inspections and identify equipment failures using robotic fleet operations. The software converts inspection data into actionable work orders, enabling teams to scale their inspection capabilities across facilities.