The Employer Edge How construction employers can stand out in today’s workforce By Kit Dickinson
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s the competition for talent heats up in the construction industry, new data shows just how much leverage em-
ployees have in today’s blue-collar labor market. According to ADP Research’s Today at Work 2026, Issue 2, construction workers who changed employers in June 2026 received an average pay increase of 12.9%, nearly double the 6.6% average increase for job changers across all industries. Since mid-2025, annualized pay growth for construction job changers has outpaced every other industry in all but two months, underscoring the intense competition for skilled talent across the trades
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 8, 2026