Top 3 Trends Impacting the Future of the Construction Industry

While technological transformation has been a popular topic across the construction industry for a while now, the COVID-19 pandemic and political landscape certainly expedited the need for fast action. In this blog, we explore three trends showing potential to have a significant impact on the industry, and why they’re bringing the need for faster, more accurate data capture to the forefront.

1. The push for sustainable infrastructure

With a new POTUS stepping into the White House and the upcoming release of the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card, it’s predicted that infrastructure will be a big focus across the U.S. in 2021. Biden’s Build Back Better plan outlines a $2 trillion investment to create jobs and build a more modern, sustainable infrastructure. High priority on the list: rebuilding the nation’s roads and bridges, green spaces and water systems.

While this brings hopes of an economic boost, skilled labor shortages remain a constant struggle for the construction industry. Getting data from the jobsite will be more critical than ever, as contractors begin expanding their crews and equipment fleets to complete these large infrastructure projects.

It will be important to monitor items like project progress, equipment maintenance, and jobsite conditions on a frequent basis. Allowing contractors to identify and correct issues quickly, before they become a more costly problem down the line. In order to do this, contractors will need solutions to gather loads of data from the field. Investing in data collection tools, such as a mobile forms app, should be a big consideration for construction companies planning to bid on sustainable infrastructure projects in the coming years.

2. Managing an expanding mobile workforce

According to the International Data Collection (IDC) forecast, the U.S. mobile worker population will increase from 78.5 million in 2020 to 93.5 million mobile workers in 2024. That’s nearly 60% of the nation’s total workforce.

In the release, IDC outlines two categories of mobile workers: information and frontline. While the construction industry has been adopting techniques to manage a frontline mobile workforce for a while now, the pandemic has removed a ‘centralized administrative office’ from the equation. Construction companies are now tasked with adapting processes to accommodate both the frontline and information mobile workforce.

This is not only changing how companies must collect data from the field, but also how they configure data retrieval workflows. Delivering paperwork to the back office is no longer an option. Companies will need to digitize their data to streamline operations and maintain a productive mobile workforce.

3. A growing demand for ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI)

IDC also looked at AI spending predictions over the next four years. Spending is expected to double, growing from $50.1 billion worldwide in 2020 to more than $110 billion in 2024.

Why is spending expected to increase at such an exponential rate? The answer is simple. AI and other forms of data collection technology are helping companies increase efficiency, improve productivity and reduce errors.

However, there’s been a demand shift. Individuals are becoming increasingly educated about AI. And they are expecting employers to consider their values surrounding data handling and collection practices. Whether you’re looking to invest in it or you’ve already implemented AI software, one thing is certain: businesses must begin considering data ethics.

So What’s Next?

As a professional in the construction industry, you’ve probably already been hearing the buzz around these trends. And it’s likely that at least one of them is already impacting your business. And you’re taking a proactive approach. That’s why you’ve gotten this far in the blog, right?

While Device Magic isn’t the catch-all response to these broad issues, it is an industry leading solution for one common theme: the need for faster, more accurate data collection. Whether you’re looking for an offline mobile forms app or a way to streamline data across multiple platforms, Device Magic is your go-to solution. Discover the opportunities with a free trial.