CONSTRUCTION FIRMS HAVE MIXED OUTLOOK FOR 2024 AS EXPECTATIONS FOR DEMAND REMAIN MOSTLY POSITIVE, BUT LESS UPBEAT THAN LAST YEAR AMID NEW CHALLENGES

New Industry Outlook Shows Firms Are Counting on Public Sector, Data Center and Manufacturing Construction to Offset Declines in Retail, Lodging & Office Work; Two-Thirds of Firms Plan to Hire; Many Worry about Inflation

Construction contractors have a decidedly mixed outlook for 2024 as firms predict transitions in demand for projects, the types of challenges they will face and the technologies, including artificial intelligence, they will embrace according to survey results the Associated General Contractors of America and Sage released today. Amid these changes, contractors are struggling to cope with significant labor shortages, the impacts of higher interest rates and input costs, and a supply chain that, while better, is still far from normal, according to A Construction Market in Transition: The 2024 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook.

“2024 offers a mixed bag for construction contractors: on one hand, demand for many types of projects should continue to expand and firms will continue to invest in the tools they need to be more efficient,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Meanwhile, they face significant challenges when it comes to finding workers, coping with rising costs and weathering the impacts of higher interest rates.”

Source: agc.org