Report Shows Legacy Scheduling Tools and Hiring are Top Concerns Amid Record Construction Spending

Today, Planera announced the findings of the “Construction Tech and Workforce Report” which looked at how construction professionals are using technology to plan and schedule their projects. 

What we found was that the vast majority of those surveyed (78%) said their business would benefit from having more team members involved with the scheduling process (See Figure 1).

However, a full 37% of respondents cited difficulties with finding employees with sufficient construction scheduling and planning experience (See Figure 2).

In addition, 2 out of 3 construction decision-makers said their current planning software is complex and challenging to use (See Figure 3).

The timing of the survey, which asked 200 United States construction managers and executives about their experience utilizing technology for construction planning efforts, is particularly important as US construction spending and hiring is going strong. In fact, construction spending advanced 3.5% on a year-on-year basis over the summer, exceeding expectations. On top of this, the American Institute of Architects released their annual Consensus Construction Forecast, which projects that nonresidential construction spending will increase by 20% this year.  

Amid this continued trend of increased construction spending, contractors are struggling to keep pace with new bids due to outdated and complex planning systems. These inefficient systems serve as a barrier to entry for these contractors and prevent them from securing projects (see Figure 4), properly managing timelines, and identifying the correct amount of necessary manpower and supplies.

Having an easy-to-use and collaborative scheduling tool will better position construction pros to not only be prepared for bids and schedules for projects, maintaining both efficiency and profitability, but also prevent them from having to hire employees with a specialized skill set to manage this technology. 

Here are some additional key findings from the survey:

Talent Gaps: Only 38% of respondents said they believe they are sufficiently staffed to handle an influx of new construction projects, but plan to hire ahead of a potential spike in demand (see Figure 5).

Construction Companies Look to Improve Human Capital and Infrastructure: More than half of respondents (54%) say they need to recruit talented people and improve the technology infrastructure to execute new projects. 17% say the current technology does not keep pace with current needs, and 27% say it’s a challenge finding and recruiting people with the right skills to execute projects. See Figure 6.

Investments in Planning Tools are a Priority for Construction Pros: In today’s booming construction market, 42% of respondents are “definitely” prioritizing investments in planning tools, while 38% marked “probably.” See Figure 7.