The construction industry is having one of its best years in a decade in terms of demand, and one of its worst for finding the people to meet it.
Demand is largely related to construction of data centers, with reports of planning for commercial projects running 37.2% higher in April than a year earlier. Without them, the increase is just 5.8%. Contractors placed data centers at the top of their expectations for 2026 in a survey by the Associated General Contractors, the only building segment where optimism climbed by double digits.
