Tag
Data
A measured mile compares a crew's unimpacted and impacted unit rates on the same job. This example turns 12 weeks of conduit data into 960 lost hours.
0.12 12 · +5.1% on the period
Hours per foot rose after the week 4 redesign and stayed above the measured mile
Labor hours per linear foot of conduit, example crew, weeks 1 to 12
Data
Naval Observatory twilight times show how much of a winter shift falls in darkness, where OSHA's lighting minimums call for temporary light.
AI
Gritt's AI-guided arms mount on skid steers and forklifts to set solar panels, and MasTec will use them on its utility-scale solar jobs.
Data
BLS says construction employment fell by 3,000 to 8,367,000 in October 2026 as residential specialty trade contractors cut 15,200 jobs.
Feature Data
BLS fatal injury rates by trade turn a contractor's hours by occupation into a blended rate that shows which crews carry its fatality exposure.
Data
The NWS wind chill formula and the ACGIH work/warm-up schedule turn a cold-day forecast into break minutes and crew hours a contractor can budget.
Data
BLS says construction job openings rose to 298,000 in September 2026 from a revised 262,000 in August, and quits rose to 198,000.
| Date | Trend | Category | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | How to compute lost labor hours with a measured mile, worked through a 12-week conduit example | A measured mile compares a crew's unimpacted and impacted unit rates on the same job. This example turns 12 weeks of conduit data into 960 lost hours. | ||
| Data | How to set a winter shift start from Naval Observatory twilight times and OSHA's lighting minimums, with a Detroit example | Naval Observatory twilight times show how much of a winter shift falls in darkness, where OSHA's lighting minimums call for temporary light. | ||
| AI | MasTec will use Gritt's robotic solar panel installers, which Gritt says have set more than 35,000 panels, on its utility-scale jobs | Gritt's AI-guided arms mount on skid steers and forklifts to set solar panels, and MasTec will use them on its utility-scale solar jobs. | ||
| Data | Construction employment slipped by 3,000 in October as residential specialty trade contractors cut 15,200 jobs | BLS says construction employment fell by 3,000 to 8,367,000 in October 2026 as residential specialty trade contractors cut 15,200 jobs. | ||
| Data | How to weigh crew hours by BLS fatal injury rates, from roofers at 48.7 to electricians at 5.3 Feature | BLS fatal injury rates by trade turn a contractor's hours by occupation into a blended rate that shows which crews carry its fatality exposure. | ||
| Data | How to plan winter crew hours from wind chill and the ACGIH warm-up schedule, with a steel erection example | The NWS wind chill formula and the ACGIH work/warm-up schedule turn a cold-day forecast into break minutes and crew hours a contractor can budget. | ||
| Data | Construction job openings rose 14% to 298,000 in September as quits reached 198,000, the most in 25 months | BLS says construction job openings rose to 298,000 in September 2026 from a revised 262,000 in August, and quits rose to 198,000. | ||
| AI | Bluebeam survey of 750 US AEC firms finds 28% run AI in production and 17% credit it with less rework Feature | Bluebeam surveyed 750 US design and construction decision-makers on AI adoption, barriers to scaling, reported benefits, savings and hiring. | ||
| Data | How to adjust a crew wage rate to another metro with BLS OEWS data, from $26 in Houston to $42 in Chicago | BLS OEWS wages let an estimator scale a home-market crew rate to another metro. In this example a $26 Houston carpenter rate becomes $42 to $45 in Chicago. | ||
| Data | Construction unemployment was 3.5% in September, and ABC's state estimates run from 1.7% in Maryland to 9.5% in North Dakota Feature | BLS put September construction unemployment at 3.5%, and ABC's state estimates range from 1.7% in Maryland to 9.5% in North Dakota. | ||
| Data | Construction employment rose in 180 of 360 metro areas in the year to September 2026, with Baton Rouge up 27% | AGC's ranking of BLS metro data shows construction jobs up in 180 of 360 areas and down in 118 from September 2025 to September 2026. | ||
| AI | Bedrock Robotics raises $600 million after its retrofitted excavators began paid, operator-free earthwork in August | Bedrock Robotics retrofits existing excavators to dig on their own once a site manager sets the plan, and says contractors now pay for that work. | ||
| Data | How to price per diem for a traveling crew with the FY 2027 GSA rates, $181 a day in most of the US | GSA's FY 2027 standard per diem is $113 for lodging and $68 for meals. This example prices a four-person crew on a three-week out-of-town job. | ||
| Data | How to compute overtime premium on a 50-hour week, with a $40 wage that averages $44 | Overtime premium is the extra half-rate on hours past 40. This example turns a $40 wage into $44 per hour worked on a 50-hour week. | ||
| AI | Origin raises $20 million for OG-1, a robot that applies joint compound, sands and primes drywall | Origin's OG-1 robot applies joint compound, sands and primes interior walls up to 14 feet high, while the crew maps the site and refills material. | ||
| Data | How to annualize Davis-Bacon fringe benefit credit, with a $1,200 health premium worth $7.50 an hour | Davis-Bacon fringe credit divides benefit cost by all hours worked. In this example a $1,200 monthly health premium earns $7.50 an hour of credit. | ||
| Data | How to compute labor burden per hour worked, with a $50 wage that costs $70.86 | Labor burden adds payroll taxes, insurance and benefits to wages. This example turns a $50 wage into $70.86 per hour worked and checks it against BLS. | ||
| Data | How to compute TRIR and DART from your OSHA 300 log, with a drywall contractor example | TRIR and DART divide recordable cases by hours worked. This example computes both for a drywall contractor and compares them to BLS 2024 rates. | ||
| Data | How to measure labor productivity from daily logs and timecards, with a drywall example | Units installed per labor hour come from the daily log and the timecards. This example tracks a drywall crew for 10 days against its estimate. | ||
| AI | Punchcard survey finds 64% of Canadian construction workers trust AI to read drawings and 87% get no formal AI support | A Punchcard and Angus Reid poll of 1,100 Canadian workers finds construction trusts AI with drawings and codes but gets the least employer support. | ||
| Data | Construction added 11,000 jobs in September, led by nonresidential specialty trade contractors | BLS says construction employment rose by 11,000 to 8,364,000 in September 2026, led by nonresidential specialty trade contractors. | ||
| AI | Anthropic's robot exposure index rates operating engineers at 1.6 out of 3 and electricians at 0.33 Feature | Anthropic scored every US occupation on how much of its work robots can do today. In construction, equipment operators score highest and electricians low. | ||
| AI | a16z says AI accounts for nearly all new construction spending, and Census shows data centers up 57.2% as the total fell 3.8% Feature | a16z's State of Markets deck credits AI with nearly all new construction spending. Census shows data centers up 57.2% in a year as the total fell 3.8%. | ||
| Data | Construction jobs rose in 177 of 360 metro areas from August 2025 to August 2026, led by Houston and Baton Rouge | AGC's ranking of BLS metro data shows construction jobs up in 177 of 360 areas and down in 126 from August 2025 to August 2026. | ||
| Data | Construction job openings fell 16% to 251,000 in August after BLS cut July to 299,000 | BLS says construction job openings fell to 251,000 in August 2026 from a revised 299,000 in July, as hires and layoffs also fell. |