3 MAJOR INDUSTRY CHALLENGES
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY IS SOLVING FOR TODAY
3
ATTRACTING A NEW GENERATION OF TALENT
Evolving an aging workforce into younger workers who can make construction a lifelong profession has proven to be a challenge. One key tactic: first go where your future workforce spends most of their time.
This means visiting high school and trade school career fairs, which are prime opportunities to reach many prospective job candidates in person. Because they’re already attending with the mindset of learning about career options, you’ll be able to meet and talk with young adults about opportunities within your construction company. It’ll be your chance to share what working in the industry is really like. With trade schools enjoying a resurgence in popularity, now’s the time to reach out to this motivated audience.
MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE TECH-WISE
If your company has invested heavily in software technology, don’t overlook the tech- and STEM-based schools and their campus groups where you can find students who may be attracted to construction tech. Many may not have thought of the industry as an area of interest for them, nor considered the application of modern software and field technologies to construction projects. This is your chance to pique interest in the opportunities to get in on the ground-floor efforts of an industry that is not only exploring all that tech can do but is looking to the tech-savvy younger generation to help guide them. For Gen Z, social media is an ingrained part of their world. Because the younger set relies more heavily on online information, it’s natural to think of reaching out to them there. So, professional social media platforms like Tallo or LinkedIn are preferable.
OFFER THE FREEDOM OF MOBILITY
It’s remarkable how connected new workforces are to technology, whether through smartphones or tablets. Far from being merely a convenience, mobile-friendly technology enables them to do more in less time and with less effort. So how mobile-friendly is your technology? Think of the software you currently use for your projects. You may have scheduling, commissioning, or document management. Ideally, they have a mobile component.
Why? Because it helps keep things moving on the jobsite where most of the action is, and where much of your project’s data is generated and captured. So, to attract your future workforce to the construction site, show that you embrace mobile technology. They’ll feel more confident and relevant when they can use their innate tech skills to capture the data used to track project progress and performance. Remember, today’s construction talent sees mobile devices as valuable a construction tool as power drills and jackhammers.
ELIMINATE PAPER-BASED DAILY LOGS
Want to further win over the incoming workforce? Eliminate paper. Gen Z, even more so than millennials, tends to be environmentally conscious. They prefer to work for companies that are actively part of the solution to excessive paper waste, not contributing to landfills. It might be a challenge for some construction companies to make an immediate leap to near-100% virtual documentation. But one place to start is with the daily logs or daily reports. They require collecting job details that will serve as an ongoing log, not just for the current project, but as a reference for future ones. With capital projects lasting as long as several years, that documentation can really add up. Not to mention, it’s quite labor-intensive.
What kind of solutions will appeal to the tech-oriented? Apps with daily log capability. They efficiently and quickly allow you to record and store photos, videos, screenshots, and notes — essentially everything that documents each day’s activities to better manage the project. This solution not only reduces the impact on the environment but introduces time and effort efficiencies the younger generations have come to expect of technology.
MORE ACCURATELY TRACK QUANTITY CLAIMING
It’s difficult to know what your actual project productivity is on the jobsite if it isn’t accurately quantified and tracked against established benchmarks. This is what quantity claiming is meant to do. Traditionally, spreadsheet printouts have been used by the front line to claim quantities of work performed. Aside from the inherent risks of dealing with manually updating hard copy spreadsheets, it’s often cumbersome translating completed work into more easily trackable performance metrics.
This is another opportunity for construction companies to set themselves apart from those who continue to rely on these traditional processes. Leveraging technology here is not only a way to be more productive, but to track just how productive the work is in relation to the benchmarks. Using software that can execute claiming schemes on a mobile device — with quantifying options to choose from— introduces more accurate, real-time insight into project performance. It’s another way to further differentiate your company in the eyes of the tech-savvy construction talent you want to attract.
ENHANCE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE BACK OFFICE AND THE FIELD
For most, if not all, of their lives, the Millennial and Gen Z generations have been using technology to stay connected and communicate. The more advanced construction software platforms provide an open channel for real-time interaction between the field and the back office — something the tech-savvy would expect and even respect.
When it comes to construction projects, access to project team members is as important as access to project data, ranging from drawings and daily logs to schedules and performance metrics. Using software that houses all that data within a single, cloud-based repository paves the way for real-time collaboration and decision-making among project teams who can simultaneously reference the same data. It may even help close the gap between the younger workers’ tech skills and the veteran workers’ real-world experience.
Time and cost-saving efficiencies are the driving force behind the digitalization of traditionally manual processes in construction, helping to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive market. Overcoming the “old-school” perception of our industry by incorporating more construction software technology will help you meet and take full advantage of the new wave of construction professionals’ tech demands. As a result, you will successfully navigate labor shortages and deal with supply shortages and surprises for more project wins, now and into a decidedly bright future.
ABOUT INEIGHT
InEight is a leader in construction project controls software, empowering over 850 companies taking on challenging projects in industries including construction and engineering; transportation infrastructure; mining; water; power and renewables; and oil, gas and chemical. Uniquely suited to capital construction and other complex work, our integrated, modular software manages projects worth over $1 trillion globally, taking control of project information management, costs, schedules, contracts, and construction operations, and delivering insights with advanced analytics and AI. InEight's solutions adapt and scale to meet the dynamic needs of modern construction, driving operational excellence and successful project outcomes. For more information, follow InEight on LinkedIn or visit InEight.com. © 2025 InEight, Inc. All Rights Reserved