Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesEngineering & Construction

As Inflation Rises, How Will Construction Sites Be Affected?

Key Points: Labor and building materials are in short supply at construction sites across the country. The lingering shortage of skilled workers has worsened, leaving builders to add high labor costs. Scott Roudebush provides insights on inflation in the construction industry. Commentary: It’s no secret that rising costs and shortages of building materials, as…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Engineering & Construction teams put it to work with Partner & Channel Enablement.

·
Share
As Inflation Rises, How Will Construction Sites Be Affected?

Free workspace

Turn your Engineering & Construction expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

Key Points:

  • Labor and building materials are in short supply at construction sites across the country.
  • The lingering shortage of skilled workers has worsened, leaving builders to add high labor costs.
  • Scott Roudebush provides insights on inflation in the construction industry.

Commentary:

It’s no secret that rising costs and shortages of building materials, as well as a higher cost for labor, are rippling across construction sites. With workers putting their leverage in action in demand of better pay, work conditions, or otherwise, the subsequent shortage of willing skilled workers has gotten worse than anticipated, forcing builders to factor in higher labor costs to attract workers back on-site. Inflation is being felt across the economy, as well, compounding these financial disruptions. MarketScale asked Scott Roudebush, Founder & Principal of The Legacy Group, how he sees inflation affecting workforces within construction, where opportunities exist for digital transformation construction sites, and how these transformations intersect with the industry’s financial challenges.

Abridged Thoughts:

There’s no question that the current inflationary environment is affecting the cost of labor in the construction industry in the same way that we saw raw material prices increase in recent months. Companies are going to respond by offering more people-based programs. We’ve seen Chipotle and Starbucks offer scholarships for their employees. I think there will be more of a discussion around the career of employees as opposed to just hourly wages. Companies that can hire, retain and develop their people internally are going to have a market advantage over the rest of their competitors just because they’re able to staff up projects and they’re able to keep their knowledge in-house. 

How to Keep Safety First During a Skilled Labor Shortage

Stacking Challenges From Labor to Material Costs Threaten New Construction

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Engineering & Construction starts with a company putting its project engineers, superintendents, and estimators on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Owners shortlist firms they already trust, and your field leaders become the reason your name is on that list.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.
B2B Weekly

The week in Engineering & Construction, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Engineering & Construction: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Engineering & Construction buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Engineering & Construction expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your project engineers, superintendents, and estimators into the articles, video, and social content Engineering & Construction buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Engineering & Construction Insights

North Texas Data Centers Boom, Mechanical Trades Constrain

North Texas Data Centers Boom, Mechanical Trades Constrain

Mechanical trades now shape liquid-cooled data center schedules

  • 01DFW data center construction faces mechanical workforce constraints
  • 02Mechanical trades are crucial for data center deployment timelines.

Nov 2, 2026

Brock's 3D scaffold model replaced 1,400+ standby hours with <25

Brock's 3D scaffold model replaced 1,400+ standby hours with <25

Brock Group executives Enrique Zavala and Brent Roscoe argue scaffolding belongs in the BIM model from the start of an industrial project. BIC Magazine reports one Brock 3D model replaced more than 1,400 budgeted standby hours with under 25 hours of rework. Peer-reviewed studies support BIM-based planning and forecasting, while noting scaffold modeling and laser scanning still demand specialized skills.

  • 01On one three-month project, BIC Magazine reports, a Brock 3D scaffold model left one minor field change and under 25 labor hours of rework against more than 1,400 budgeted standby hours.
  • 02A 2017 IAARC paper found scaffolding is usually left out of the BIM model, and a June 2024 MDPI case study found scan-to-BIM needs specialized equipment and skills, so the gains are not automatic.

Nov 2, 2026

CivDot robots shift surveyors to control and spot checks

CivDot robots shift surveyors to control and spot checks

On robotic layout jobs, the surveyor's work shifts to setting control and spot-checking the machine's marks.

  • 01On robotic layout jobs, the surveyor keeps the control network and the spot checks, the two tasks that decide whether thousands of machine-set marks are right.
  • 02Autonomy is most advanced offshore and underground, where work is risky and costly; routine low-risk jobs are adopting it more slowly.

Nov 1, 2026

Explore More Engineering & Construction Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Engineering & Construction.

Browse Engineering & Construction Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Engineering & Construction and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512