The hot rhythm of the compensation of the construction staff is cooling. After years of increasing historically high wages, entrepreneurs re go to the remuneration of construction staff. Last year, basic salaries increased by 4.6% on average, according to data from the compensation consultants’ administration services. The decline continues to increase by 5.1% by 2022 and 5% by 2023, the first time since 2000 that average increases exceeded 5% in the salary survey of construction/construction of the PAS.
Above all, the high mark on salary strokes affected when the north -Americans increased significant increases in the cost of life, largely driven by inflation. By 2021 and 2022, year -on -year inflation increased by 7% and 6.5%, respectively. Since then, annual inflation has increased, with an average of 2.9% by 2024.
Jeff Robinson, President of the Pass, says that, while entrepreneurs increased their salaries significantly by 2022 and 2023, they did not have the pace of inflation. Between March 2020 and March 2025, inflation increased by 23.8% in five years. During this same period of time, the data of the PAS show that the superintendents and the superintendents of the project approached the meeting closest to the brand with a payment change of five years of 22% and 21%, respectively. In comparison, construction managers saw a 15% payment change in five years during this same period.
“Certainly, superintendents and project superintendents, although near the five -year period, they are still behind in terms of purchasing power, and construction managers are definitely behind,” he adds.
Consequently, he suggests that entrepreneurs can still feel pressure to provide healthy ascents. The survey shows that entrepreneurs expect to offer an average salary increase of 4.1% this year, a full point fall from maximum in 2022.
Although this level of increase may overcome inflation, Robinson warns that entrepreneurs should be aware that they are still up to date. For example, Robinson says that if an employee is 2% in terms of purchasing power compared to five years ago he only gets a 3% payment increase this year, this employee would still have at least 1.5% to enter next year, if the annual inflation is 2.5% in 2025.
“Some may be 5% to 10% behind, according to your position,” he adds. “For me, this is a disaster that hopes to happen.”
Robinson adds that bonuses may have helped to soften the blow in recent years. The project superintendents recorded an increase in the average remuneration of 3.7% in all sectors, while the total compensation, including the bonus, increased by 5%. However, the compensation level may vary depending on the market sector. Project superintendents in heavy civilians, for example, increased the payment of the average base of 6.8% last year.
James Huddleston, President of the Prosearch Inl Company recruitment, agrees that, while some sectors, such as commercial, are seeing a little compensation based on market conditions, payment offers in heavy civilians are still strong. Also, the sectors of manufacture and industrialists continue to require talent from large projects such as data centers. “The data center explosion will never disappear in the states of the upper Midwest of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana,” he says.
As for the demand for specific positions, companies continue to look for superintendents by operations, while estimators are in high demand for the business. “If you are able [estimator] With a passion for numbers and production rates, you could make a race movement for a 10% increase in base salary, “says Huddleston.” Pure business development people who call at the door and try to create new customers or trying to create new revenue flows with existing customers, there is probably a problem. “”
Huddleston states that worries about the cost of life continue to promote negotiations for job candidates. “If [the candidates] You have families, the discussion of inflation predominates in our process of negotiating pre-providers, when it comes to the cost of daycare, the cost of groceries and the cost of insurance. [premiums]”He adds.
Bob Honor, president of the recruitment of the Honor Consulting firm, focused on the states of southeast, says that, while he sees sectors such as heavy civilian, the recent reductions in commercial and multi-family construction affect compensation in these sectors.
“In the commercial and multi -family side of things, boys have been fired for the last eight months and have to take what they can achieve,” he says.
However, Honor says that the trend could change later this year and that the talent of construction will again demand. He claims that while developers have recently shown the hesitation to advance projects, he hopes that the activity of construction of the commercial sector will improve by the end of the year. “I think we will see a gradual climb, as some of the uncertainties in the market disappear,” he adds.
