Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 7
US Construction Wages Jump 12.9% for Job-Switchers as Median Pay Tops $59,000
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 7

US Construction Wages Jump 12.9% for Job-Switchers as Median Pay Tops $59,000

1 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 7

Summary

  • June ADP data showed workers switching into construction got a 12.9% pay increase from a year earlier, the strongest gain of any sector.
  • Median gross pay for those job-switchers topped $59,000, versus about $43,000 across all industries, underscoring how aggressively builders are paying to hire.
  • Demand is being driven by large projects including CHIPS Act-linked semiconductor plants in upstate New York and AI data centers such as OpenAI's Project Camilla in Georgia.
  • Worker shortages and a wave of retirements are tightening labor supply further, helping make construction one of the clearest examples of a widening split in US wage growth.

Insights

Could the rapid wage surge in commercial construction accelerate the adoption of robotics and automation on modern job sites?
Will the severe shortage of skilled tradespeople ultimately delay the massive AI data center buildouts planned throughout 2026?
With construction managers earning massive premiums, what hidden skills are contractors desperately paying for on today's complex megaprojects?