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The construction industry is growing and is gradually adopting new technologies to improve efficiency. As per data gathered last November 2017an amount of $1 trillion was spent in construction projects in the US alone. Analysis of federal employment data, released by the Associated General Contractors of America shows, employment in construction sector increased in 269 out of 358 metro areas, within the span of December 2016 to December 2017.The rate has declined in additional 43 metro areas and in the remaining 46 areas it has remained stagnant.It is expected from the construction companies with the new infrastructure funding coming in,that firms will continue to expand their headcount in 2018.Construction employment figures increased to 36,000 in January, this year. It has been reflected that over the past 12 months, the industry has added 226,000 new jobs. But the persistent issue of labor shortage continues to loom over the industry. The lack of skilled labor coupled with tight project schedules is hindering the pace of development despite the current boom the industry. Businesses must improve the hiring process and raise the pay scale. Data revealed the labor crunch has pushed almost 60% of construction companies in the US to be ready to pay higher salaries than the average pay scale. But simply giving a pay hike still isn’t working to attract the young working class. Industry experts predict that adoption of technology and shifting field work to a pre-fabrication yard can help attract applicants. Also, bringing in millennial's on-board will be a good idea as they are tech savvy and can fill in the vacuum created by the shortage of labor and increase the adoption of tech solutions in the industry. In the pre-fabrication process many parts are built in a site and are then shipped to the final destination. That way arduous commutes for the workers can be eliminated. Applying technological advancements including robotics, drones and construction management software can be helpful to increase efficiency. In remote areas inspections can be easily done and data can be sent to intelligent systems in real- time with drones coupled with construction document management apps which will spare the laborers of too many trips. Cloud-based construction project management software solutions help to track project updates, save time, avoid rework and budget overrun. Manual, time consuming tasks like searching paper documents can be cumbersome and tedious. Digital documents uploaded to document management software like SKYSITE makes it easy to search and use them anytime, anywhere. However, technological advancements can only do so much, real human hands remain indispensable for the industry that has largely remained shadowed from tech tools. But times are changing, and technological aids may entice young millennial's to fill the void causing the labor shortage.
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