The construction industry is seeing historic growth but legacy tools and hiring difficulties are the top concerns for industry professionals according to a recent independent study commissioned by Planera, a visual scheduling and planning solution helping construction companies build, analyze, and optimize project schedules to increase profitability. The survey included responses from more than 200 construction industry leaders in the United States who directly manage construction planning efforts in their daily roles.

The Construction Tech and Workforce Report, which surveyed construction industry managers and executives within the U.S., gathered data on the integration of new technologies into the pre-construction planning process and the associated challenges. 

When asked about modernizing their tech stack, a vast majority (90%) of respondents shared that tech modernization is important, but 37% of respondents said that it is difficult to find people with the experience necessary to integrate and utilize these tools.

While most (91%) of respondents shared that they are using a scheduling solution, 66% think their solution is too complex and challenging to use. Almost a third (31%) of respondents admitted that their current tools are causing them to lose out on projects, and in turn, profit. Although 89% of respondents are prioritizing investments in construction planning tools as the market grows, the difficulty finding talent is a major obstacle; 27% said it’s a challenge finding and recruiting people with the right skills to execute projects.

More than half of respondents shared that they need to recruit talented people and improve the technology infrastructure to execute new projects, with only 38% saying that they feel sufficiently staffed to handle an influx of new construction projects. However, less than half (48%) of respondents say they have a plan to address corporate staffing (non-labor) talent shortages.

“The critical need for tech modernization to simplify and streamline the construction planning processes is well-recognized by the industry, but many construction professionals are still using outdated legacy tools to schedule their projects,” said Nitin Bhandari, founder and CEO of Planera. “In order to keep pace with the influx of new projects and a continuously growing market, it is imperative for construction leaders to find solutions that are both technologically advanced and easy to use. This positions them to not only have the tools necessary to prepare accurate bids and schedules for projects, maintaining both efficiency and profitability, but also prevents them from having to hire employees with a specialized skill set to manage this technology.”