What to know about Trump’s tariff refund process

Finance leaders are expected to play a central role in steering companies through the claims process set to launch on Monday.

By Alexei Alexis • April 20, 2026

The US may already have a negative immigration rate. That’s bad for construction.

Some reports indicate more people are leaving the U.S. than arriving. Experts say that has direct impacts on workforce availability and meeting project demand.

By Zachary Phillips • April 17, 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

Backlog rebounded in March with contractors unfazed by Iran war impacts

Contractors added 0.5 months of work to their books over the month, with outsized growth in data center projects.

By Sebastian Obando • April 15, 2026

Oil prices triggered higher construction costs in March

Input prices rose 18% at an annualized rate for the first three months of the year.

By Sebastian Obando • April 15, 2026

Iran war impacts on oil prices spiked construction stress, increased abandonments

Construction saw a 22.8% surge in project abandonments month over month in March, which ConstructConnect linked to economic impacts brought on by the war.

By Sebastian Obando • April 14, 2026

Construction’s economic outlook is increasingly cloudy

Aside from the artificial intelligence buildout, the industry’s numbers have weakened. The boom “probably will end at some point. But not now,” said an economist.

By Sebastian Obando • April 13, 2026

Data centers powered March construction planning almost exclusively

Without the data center boom, commercial planning would be down 12.7% since March 2025, according to Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • April 10, 2026

Trump calls for 50% tariff on goods from nations arming Iran

The president said the duty is effective immediately, although it's unclear how it would be implemented after the Supreme Court clipped Trump's power to issue broad levies.

By Max Garland • April 9, 2026

Latest construction data shows weakening market to start 2026

Several indicators softened during the first two months of the year, but not all building activity has stalled.

By Sebastian Obando • April 6, 2026

Trump adjusts tariffs for steel, aluminum, copper

Goods made entirely of the metals will still face a 50% tariff, but the levy will be reduced to 25% for certain derivative goods, effective April 6.

By Phil Neuffer • April 6, 2026

Construction hiring data indicates a cooling labor market

Slow hiring and few job separations in February led to the lowest construction labor turnover rate since 2000, according to Anirban Basu, chief economist at ABC.

By Zachary Phillips • April 1, 2026

Data center boom failed to lift construction spending to start 2026

The lackluster spending report is “especially concerning in light of the ongoing conflict in Iran,” said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist.  

By Sebastian Obando • March 24, 2026

Construction starts plunged 13% as megaprojects faded

Nonresidential starts rebounded in February but the absence of massive energy-related projects slowed total groundbreakings, according to Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • March 24, 2026

Construction prices spiked at ‘staggering’ rate to begin 2026

The latest data — prior to the war in Iran — shows prices rose on an annualized basis of 12.6% through February. 

By Joe Bousquin • March 19, 2026

Fed holds rates steady, flags uncertainty as oil price soars amid war

The Fed faces a policy dilemma as the Iran war spurs a jump in energy prices, threatening to increase inflation, slow economic growth and push up unemployment.

By Jim Tyson • March 19, 2026

Trump’s temporary 10% tariff faces further legal scrutiny

Two businesses say the president is unlawfully leveraging the Section 122 statute, echoing similar arguments from a case filed by a cohort of states days earlier.

By Phil Neuffer • March 16, 2026

AI, highway bill dominate builders’ focus

In the most recent earnings calls and financial reports, contractors focused on the frenzy around data center construction and potentially higher transportation funding. 

By Joe Bousquin • March 16, 2026

Monthly construction planning slipped again in February

Increased costs and geopolitical risk strained builder confidence in the near term, said Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • March 11, 2026

Economy unexpectedly sheds 92,000 jobs as war spurs inflation worries

Construction lost 11,000 net jobs month to month in February, but saw an increase of 0.5% year over year.

By Jim Tyson • March 9, 2026

Manufacturing slump hit nonresidential construction spending in December

Expenditures on highway and street projects, the third largest subcategory, also tumbled 0.4% month to month to close the year, according to the latest Census Bureau data. 

By Sebastian Obando • March 3, 2026

Tariffs drove construction input prices up to start 2026

January’s cost increases amounted to a “blistering” annualized rate of 7.1% for nonresidential input prices, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. 

By Sebastian Obando • Feb. 27, 2026

Construction starts growth masks underlying weakness

If not for three energy megaprojects, groundbreaking activity would have been negative month to month to start 2026, per Dodge Construction Network.  

By Sebastian Obando • Feb. 26, 2026

Project delays pushed construction stress up to start 2026

The project stress index ticked up slightly in January but is still in a much healthier position than a year ago, according to ConstructConnect data.

By Sebastian Obando • Feb. 20, 2026

Construction backlog hit 4-year low in January

ABC members seem optimistic about their own prospects going forward, but close to half think their competitors will see sales drop over the next two quarters.

By Sebastian Obando • Feb. 12, 2026

Construction planning fell 6.3% to kick off 2026

Weakness in January showed up across most commercial and institutional project types, including warehouse, office and healthcare, per Dodge Construction Network.

By Sebastian Obando • Feb. 10, 2026