Labor

  • Two construction workers on a jobsite at sunset.
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    The Lowe’s Foundation wants to train 1 million craft workers

    The tool and DIY retailer’s foundation has partnered with NVIDIA, General Motors and other U.S. business behemoths to help bolster the construction labor force by 2035.

    By • Sept. 4, 2026
  • sections of the Stargate Oracle AI data center undergoes construction
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Data center employers face acute shortage of skilled workers, report finds

    Recruiting from adjacent sectors like telecommunications and utility grid operations can help build a sustainable talent pipeline, Kelly Services said.

    By Laurel Kalser • Sept. 4, 2026
  • Panelists discuss on screen about the increased demand for workers on data center jobs during a virtual event.
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    Sebastian Obando/Construction Dive
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    ‘It’s about taking care of people’: How top contractors staff data center jobs

    Firms are sweetening the deal for workers with benefits on and off the jobsite, panelists said during a Construction Dive virtual event.

    By • Sept. 2, 2026
  • Construction workers in gear next to various construction materials.
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    Finn Gomez via Getty Images
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    Construction job openings, hires up in July

    The hiring rate hit the highest level in nearly two years, according to Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors.

    By • Sept. 2, 2026
  • A construction worker at night looks at their laptop.
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    Column

    Generation Toolbelt: Gen Z builders know tech. They’re ready to teach — and learn

    Gen Z has a shorthand with new apps that their senior colleagues don’t. At the same time, they’re eager to learn building from seasoned pros.

    By • Aug. 31, 2026
  • Panelists discuss what Gen Z wants from construction during Construction Dive’s virtual event
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    Sebastian Obando/Construction Dive
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    ‘There’s got to be a better way’: What Gen Z brings to construction

    During a live virtual panel Wednesday, Construction Dive spoke to younger construction pros about launching a career in the sector.

    By • Aug. 28, 2026
  • A rendering of a stout building with a flurry of people moving in and around it at sunset.
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    Courtesy of McCarthy Building Cos.
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    McCarthy expands training initiatives with Arizona campus

    The contractor bought the former hotel and convention site in January. Once complete, it will train both salaried and craft employees at the facility.

    By • Aug. 19, 2026
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    Retrieved from Meta on August 13, 2026
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    Column

    Sociable: Meta partners with North America’s Building Trades Unions

    A new training program is designed to support skilled workers across the U.S. even as community sentiment about data center development has soured.

    By Andrew Hutchinson • Aug. 13, 2026
  • Two construction workers look at a series of computer monitors.
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    ‘Historic’ labor market shrinkage highlights need for AI: Economist

    A pullback from employment by workers age 65 and older may partly allay concerns that demand for artificial intelligence will fall short of a coming surge in supply, per economist Joe Brusuelas.

    By Jim Tyson • Aug. 12, 2026
  • A seated woman speaks at a microphone.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Senator introduces bill to prevent construction worker suicide

    The bill, introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, authorizes HHS to study risk factors for construction workers and form policy recommendations on how to reduce deaths by suicide.

    By • Aug. 7, 2026
  • A construction worker walks on the street next to a detour sign.
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    Anna Rose Layden via Getty Images
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    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 • Aug. 4, 2026
  • Two construction workers having a conversation on a jobsite.
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    Column

    What new construction leaders get wrong

    A good captain on the jobsite or in the office is a good listener, keen observer and frequent communicator, writes a construction consultant.

    By Matt Verderamo • July 23, 2026
  • A group of people in matching red shirts pose for a photograph.
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    Courtesy of SkillsUSA
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    Q&A

    This carpenter will represent the US in international competition. He’s 22.

    A Jacksonville, Florida, business owner is headed to Shanghai for the WorldSkills competition.

    By • July 23, 2026
  • Immigrant prepares for citizenship exam at USCIS
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    H-1B visa program hits 2027 cap

    While the second Trump administration has stepped up its efforts to discourage use of the program, many top employers continue to take advantage of it.

    By Emilie Shumway • July 23, 2026
  • A group of construction workers smiling and talking.
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    Column

    Generation Toolbelt: Don’t make Gen Z construction workers pay for their vacations twice

    Whether working harder to earn the time away or opting for only bite-sized vacations, Gen Z doesn’t want extra interrogations to justify taking a break.

    By • July 21, 2026
  • A construction supervisor looks at their wrist watch.
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    Opinion

    Inaccurate time records are a huge contractor compliance blind spot

    Most wage and hour violation claims don’t start with bad intent. They start with records no one can verify, writes a construction software CEO.

    By Nic De Bonis • July 20, 2026
  • Trump Administration To Start Refunding Companies $166 Million In Tariffs
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    Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    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
  • The North Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C.
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    Feds to target tip credits, child labor, EEO-1 reports and more in new rules

    Among the announcements is a clarification to the Trump administration's independent contractor rule, which the DOL proposed in February.

    By Ryan Golden • July 7, 2026
  • Construction team in a huddle
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    Permission granted by Danny Sandler
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    Sponsored by DPR Construction

    Why megaprojects are becoming career accelerators in construction

    Unprecedented scale is opening new doors for both skilled craft and administrative professionals—creating the industry’s next generation of leaders.

    By Lisa Lingerfelt, DPR Construction Leadership Team member • July 6, 2026
  • Keith Sonderling sits at a table and a microphone during a congressional subcommittee meeting.
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    Kevin Dietsch / Staff via Getty Images
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    Trump taps acting Secretary Sonderling to lead DOL

    Keith Sonderling has voiced support for business-friendly regulations and programs that encourage employers to perform self-audits.

    By Kate Tornone • July 1, 2026
  • Two construction workers below a Ferris wheel with the Washington Monument in the background.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Construction job openings hit 10-month high in May

    The increase, paired with the industry’s layoff and hiring rate, shows an uneven environment for labor demand, economists said.

    By • July 1, 2026
  • A group of students in overalls take instruction in a trade school class.
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    Opinion

    Changes to Pell Grants are a win for America’s workforce

    Starting Wednesday, the grants can go toward short-term trade education, a major win for an industry in desperate need of skilled workers, writes the CEO of Stanley Black & Decker.

    By Chris Nelson • July 1, 2026
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    Texas judge vacates 3 Biden-era Davis-Bacon provisions

    The U.S. District Court of Northern Texas sided with the AGC, removing rules that would have extended prevailing wage rules to suppliers and truck drivers.

    By • June 25, 2026
  • A group of people in a half-built house performing building work in the structure.
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    DPR, Suffolk Technologies pair with Skillit for hiring

    The investment and cooperative plan emphasizes how builders are turning to more tech-centered methods of attracting talent to the jobsite.

    By • June 24, 2026
  • A construction worker on a jobsite.
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    Column

    For Gen Z pros, work is not an identity. Contractors should take note.

    Although the emerging labor force values a job well done, work-life balance is nonnegotiable.

    By • June 24, 2026