Construction job openings rose in June as contractors felt staffing woes

For the third straight month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported higher year-over-year job vacancies. Paired with other recent data, that may not mean higher project demand.

By Zachary Phillips • Aug. 4, 2026

Construction spending dropped 3.2% in June

Excluding data centers, private nonresidential construction spending was down 7.9% year over year in June, according to ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

By Zachary Phillips • Aug. 4, 2026

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Top 5 stories from Construction Dive

Construction Dive editors curate some of the industry’s top stories from this year.

By Construction Dive staff

Construction’s warning lights are blinking. Most firms aren’t looking at the dashboard.

Climbing interest rates and high inflation have resulted in slowing demand despite the data center boom, writes a construction accountant. 

By Chris Coleman • Aug. 3, 2026

Turner’s cost benchmark surged 5.2% in Q2

The annual increase compared to a 1.4% jump quarter over quarter. Rising demand for skilled labor continues to drive inputs, the contractor said.

By Joe Bousquin • July 29, 2026

Fed holds benchmark rate steady in vote with three dissents

The central bank held the main interest rate steady in a 9-3 vote after a two-day meeting.

By Grace Noto • July 29, 2026

Groundbreakings cooled in June after megaproject boom eased

Construction starts “came back down to earth” after strong activity in May, said Sarah Martin, director of economic research at Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • July 23, 2026

Canada tariffs put pressure on concrete, cement prices

A 50% tariff can scuttle previous estimates and increase the risk of disputes, said one attorney.

By Sebastian Obando • July 22, 2026

US slaps 50% tariffs on many Canada imports

The Section 338 duties apply to a wide variety of products — even if they qualify for duty-free treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

By Antone Gonsalves • Updated July 21, 2026

Skanska reports record $7B order intake for Q2

CFO Pontus Winqvist remained measured in the face of a robust backlog as well as economic hurdles, telling Construction Dive, “you can’t build a trend on one quarter.”

By Zachary Phillips • July 17, 2026

Construction costs dropped in June, will likely tick up again

A brief respite in fuel prices caused construction input costs to drop in June. But the recent escalation in the Iran war will likely drive them back higher, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.

By Sebastian Obando • July 16, 2026

Cooling data center surge caused slip in June construction planning

Planning for the artificial intelligence buildout eased month over month in June, according to Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • July 9, 2026

US labor market continues to be ‘low hire, low fire’

Current trends indicate slower job growth ahead as an increasing number of consumers say they’re having trouble finding jobs.

By Lara Ewen • July 9, 2026

Data centers dominate construction’s latest economic reports

Nearly every metric highlighted the strength of the artificial intelligence buildout and weakness in other private project activity.

By Sebastian Obando • July 8, 2026

Private construction spending slid in May

Outside of the data center boom, spending on private projects weakened again, especially in the warehouse and office markets, according to ABC analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

By Sebastian Obando • July 2, 2026

Infrastructure, data centers kept construction starts strong in May

Megaprojects drove sizable growth in groundbreaking activity over the month, said Sarah Martin, director of economic research at Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • June 22, 2026

Construction surges despite cost, power concerns

Municipal pushback and access to energy pose risks to future data center development, said Ermengarde Jabir, director of commercial real estate research at Moody’s.

By Sebastian Obando • June 22, 2026

The tariff storm has a silver lining. And it belongs to preconstruction.

Rising material costs have turned preconstruction from overhead into a necessity.

By Shiva Dhawan, Co-founder & CEO, Attentive.ai • June 15, 2026

Construction costs surged in May at fastest annual rate since pandemic

“Contractors are being hit by a double whammy” of rising materials prices and slower growth in bid prices, said Ken Simonson, chief economist at Associated General Contractors.

By Sebastian Obando • June 12, 2026

Healthcare joined data centers in boost to May construction planning

The increase builds on last month's growth to overall planning after a slow start to the year, according to Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • June 9, 2026

Data center construction boom driving historic manufacturing opportunities

From multinationals like ABB and Siemens to small, family-owned businesses, manufacturers are staking their claim in this lucrative new vertical through investments and acquisitions. The question now is how long it will last.

By Shefali Kapadia • June 9, 2026

Industrial sector sole bright spot in Minneapolis region: survey

Contractors across the Upper Midwest reported weaker activity, persistent uncertainty and rising costs, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

By Keith Loria • June 8, 2026

Steel imports down 30% in 2026 as tariffs bolster US production

Raw and finished steel reached 1.87 million net tons for the month of April, driven by increased imports of tin plate, metallic coatings and other goods, according to census data.

By Nathan Owens • June 5, 2026

Data center construction spending rocketed 28% in the last year

Overall nonresidential construction spending, however, ticked up 0.1% month over month in April, with momentum elsewhere “difficult to find,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

By Sebastian Obando • June 3, 2026

Trump further tweaks steel, aluminum, copper tariffs

A greater range of industrial and agricultural equipment made with the metals will temporarily face a reduced 15% levy starting June 8, per the White House.

By Phil Neuffer • June 3, 2026

April construction job openings hit highest mark of 2026

As the number of unfilled positions jumped 10.6% MOM, the rate of layoffs hit a four-year low, indicating contractors are clinging to the workers they already have.

By Zachary Phillips • June 3, 2026