From the end of 2025 into the first six months of 2026, what does the state of the U.S. construction workforce look like? Let's begin by evaluating recent data on the sector:

• 11,000 jobs on net lost in February 2026
• 11,000 jobs on net lost in December 2025, and just 14,000 net new roles added in 2025
• Approximately 349,000 net new workers needed in 2026 to meet construction services demand

Six years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. construction workforce continues to be marked by labor shortages and challenges attracting and retaining skilled workers – all while also navigating the lasting impacts of global tariffs. These challenges are further coupled with an aging workforce as data from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) shows that an estimated 41% of the current construction workforce is projected to retire by 2031. 

According to Deloitte’s 2026 Engineering and Construction Industry Outlook, the forecast for commercial construction activity remains “cautiously optimistic” in 2026, noting that data center and energy infrastructure expansion will provide continued momentum. The construction industry also added more than 25K jobs in March 2026. Together, these trends point to a key conclusion: between now and 2031, strengthening the construction workforce – from newcomers to seasoned professionals – will be imperative to ensure that current and future construction project demand can be met. 

This will require 1) instilling critical industry expertise into the next generation of workers through apprenticeships, mentorships, and collaborative digital platforms and 2) a renewed focus on balancing technical expertise with industry experience through employing “dual athletes.”

Preserving critical industry expertise

As noted above, the NCCER projects that a significant portion of the construction workforce is expected to retire by 2031. This projection further reinforces the need for educating, training, and empowering the next generation of workers. The aging workforce possesses critical “tribal” knowledge gained from decades of experience that can be passed down to young professionals entering the construction sector. Through apprenticeships and mentorships, for example, young professionals in school or recent graduates can gain hands-on experience and training using the same platforms and cutting-edge tools that the industry is currently using. At Bluebeam, our academic program was designed to support individuals at the high school, college, and even instructor level by offering professional certification and training courses with the solutions AEC professionals are using today – including AI. This means that newcomers are entering the workforce with native AI experience that will better set them up at the start of their careers.

Apprenticeships and academic-based programs set up young workers with a better path to entering the workforce, and its success critically relies on involvement from seasoned construction professionals to help shape the next class of workers.

The role of “dual athletes” in shaping the next generation of workers

Speaking to the growing adoption of AI, successfully adopting and deploying the technology within construction requires a tailored approach, not a one-size fits all solution. Construction is high-risk and mistakes made can have detrimental costs. While this should not deter construction leaders from investing in and using innovative technology like AI to streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and reduce costs, their approaches should combine both industry-specific experience with technical expertise. This approach, which can best be described as employing “dual athletes” will be essential to strengthening the current construction workforce while also ensuring that incoming workers are best placed to tackle the projected construction project demands of the next few years. 

The importance of employing dual athletes can be best demonstrated through a 2025 survey by Bluebeam of global tech decision-makers within AEC. Our survey revealed that while more than half of respondents (56%) say AI helps to offset skilled labor shortages, just 27% use the technology for decision-making, problem solving, etc. Further, 19% cite a lack of digital skills as being among their top tech challenges. With the dual athlete approach, construction firms combine the years-long industry expertise from experienced professionals with the technical knowledge that workers are now being exposed to.

The state of the future construction workforce will be determined by steps taken today. Its success will rely on involvement at all levels – from new grads entering a workforce with native AI experience to AI pros equipped with critical technical expertise to seasoned professionals with 30+ years of industry experience under their belt. Even as the global construction sector increases its adoption and integration of advanced technologies like AI, the demand for skilled workers will remain essential. Employing dual athletes and passing down tribal knowledge through apprenticeships and mentorships will better position the industry to meet the demands of future infrastructure and construction projects even as the workforce changes.