--- title: "Construction Labor Market Report: Q2 2026" description: "Real Q2 2026 construction hiring data: 60 placements, +36% QoQ growth, wage trends, and the 349K worker gap. Veteran-owned firm analysis." url: https://amundsongroup.com/construction-labor-market-report-q2-2026/ published: 2026-07-08 modified: 2026-10-25 publisher: Amundson Group markdown_of: https://amundsongroup.com/construction-labor-market-report-q2-2026/ --- # Construction Labor Market Report: Q2 2026 *Published July 2026. Amundson Group placement data is desk-sourced from the firm’s own records; market figures carry their source and date inline. Quote freely with attribution.* **Hiring for heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, or wastewater work?** Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter. First qualified resumes in 7 hours. [Send us the role](https://amundsongroup.com/hire-talent/) or call [(832) 558-7982](tel:+18325587982). ## The headline Demand for construction leadership outran supply again in the second quarter of 2026, and the gap is most acute in exactly the roles that run work in the field. Amundson Group’s own placement volume rose 36 percent quarter over quarter, led by foremen, superintendents, estimators, and project managers, the same four roles national surveys identify as the hardest seats in construction to fill. ## Amundson Group Q2 2026 placement data - **60 permanent construction placements** completed in Q2 2026, up 36 percent from 44 in Q1. - **81 offers** extended in the quarter, up 45 percent from 56 in Q1. - **305 first interviews** arranged, flat quarter over quarter, meaning conversion from interview to offer improved sharply. - Placements landed with **36 distinct client companies** in the quarter. - Role mix: project managers (11), estimators (10), foremen (10), superintendents (9), engineers (4), executives and directors (3), with the balance across specialized field and operations roles. - Trailing 12 months: **1,200+ construction placements**, with first qualified resumes in 7 hours. ## The market behind the numbers **Employment keeps grinding up.** Construction employment reached 8,331,000 in June 2026, up 64,000 jobs (0.8 percent) year over year, outpacing total nonfarm growth of 0.3 percent (AGC analysis of BLS data, July 2026). Job openings tell the sharper story: 298,000 open construction positions in May 2026, up 32,000 in a single month (BLS JOLTS, June 30, 2026). **The structural shortfall persists.** The industry needs an estimated 349,000 net new workers in 2026 on top of normal hiring, per Associated Builders and Contractors’ January 2026 forecast, with the gap projected to widen to 456,000 in 2027. **Leadership roles are the choke point.** In the AGC of America and NCCER 2025 Workforce Survey, 92 percent of contractors reported difficulty filling open positions, and among salaried roles the hardest to fill were superintendents (81 percent of firms hiring them), estimating personnel (77 percent), and project managers (76 percent). Amundson Group’s Q2 role mix maps almost exactly onto that list. **Wages keep climbing faster than the economy’s.** Construction average hourly earnings rose 4.4 percent year over year through May 2026, against 3.5 percent for all private industry (BLS Table B-3, May 2026). **Data centers are the demand shock.** Data center construction spending hit $58.1 billion year to date by May 2026, more than four times the record 2025 pace, with roughly $101 billion more tracked in preconstruction (ConstructConnect, June 25, 2026). Texas and North Carolina sit among the five states capturing nearly 60 percent of those starts, and that work draws on the same sitework, civil, and field-leadership pool every other project needs. **The Sun Belt leads hiring.** Texas added 18,700 construction jobs year over year through May 2026, the most of any state (AGC analysis of BLS state data). Total construction starts jumped 34.1 percent in May on megaproject groundbreakings including a $5 billion EV plant in Georgia and a $3 billion data center in Alabama (Dodge Construction Network, June 2026). ## What Q2 changed Three forces defined the quarter. The Federal Reserve held rates at 3.50 to 3.75 percent through both Q2 meetings, pushing projected cuts into 2027 and keeping private developers selective (Federal Reserve, June 17, 2026). Tariffs kept input costs rising, with steel, aluminum, and copper carrying 50 percent tariffs and nonresidential input prices rising at the fastest rate since early 2022 (ABC analysis, 2026). And megaprojects, led by data centers, kept absorbing experienced field leadership faster than the market can produce it. ## What it means if you are hiring The people who run work, superintendents, foremen, estimators, and project managers, are employed, busy, and fielding offers. Posting and waiting reaches the small slice of the market actively looking. ## What it means if you are one of the people who runs work Leverage is with you. Construction wages are outpacing the broader economy, data center and infrastructure programs are bidding for the same short list of proven leaders, and firms are paying for certainty. If you have not tested your market value in two or more years, you are almost certainly priced below it. ## Methodology Amundson Group figures are drawn from the firm’s internal placement records for the periods stated and are desk-sourced, not survey estimates. Market statistics are attributed inline to their primary sources: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau, Associated General Contractors of America, NCCER, Associated Builders and Contractors, ConstructConnect, Dodge Construction Network, and the Federal Reserve, each with its publication date. Media and researchers may quote this report with attribution to Amundson Group; for questions or the underlying series, contact [Amundson Group](https://amundsongroup.com/contact/). ## Next report The Q3 2026 edition publishes in October. [Hiring construction leadership now](https://amundsongroup.com/hire-talent/)? We will give you a straight read on your specific role and market. *Go deeper: [Heavy civil construction recruiters](https://amundsongroup.com/best-heavy-civil-construction-recruiters-2026/) · [Construction recruiters in Houston](https://amundsongroup.com/construction-recruiters-houston/) · [Construction recruiters in Dallas](https://amundsongroup.com/construction-recruiters-dallas/) · [VP of Operations recruiting](https://amundsongroup.com/construction-vp-operations-recruiter/) · [Construction executive search](https://amundsongroup.com/construction-executive-search-2026/) · [The Complete 2026 Construction Recruiting Guide](https://amundsongroup.com/construction-recruiting-guide/)* **Need this hire made? Send us the role.** Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter based in Houston, placing across the United States: heavy civil, site development, paving, data centers, rail, tunnels, wastewater, and underground utilities. 1,200+ construction placements to date, a 90,000+ professional network, first qualified resumes in 7 hours. Inc. 5000 in 2024 and 2025. Prefer to talk? Call [(832) 558-7982](tel:+18325587982) or use the full form at [amundsongroup.com/hire-talent](https://amundsongroup.com/hire-talent/). Looking for your next role? [See open construction jobs](https://amundsongroup.com/jobs/). --- About Amundson Group: a Houston-headquartered construction recruiting firm placing superintendents, project managers, estimators, foremen and skilled trades with contractors across the United States in heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, tunnels, wastewater and underground utilities. 1,200+ construction placements to date, a network of 90,000+ construction professionals, 250+ companies served, the first qualified resume in about 7 hours and a shortlist in 7 days. Veteran owned, founded in January 2020 by Alex Mowbray, Inc. 5000 honoree in 2024 and 2025, SIA Best Staffing Firms to Work For 2023 and 2024, rated 4.9 on Google. 1336 Brittmoore Rd, Houston, TX 77043. (832) 558-7982. https://amundsongroup.com This page in HTML: https://amundsongroup.com/construction-labor-market-report-q2-2026/. Every page on amundsongroup.com has a Markdown copy at the same URL with .md added. 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