Software Vendor Surveys Construction Newcomers on AI
Young, newly hired workers in the US construction industry place high value on employer investment in modern technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), according to research commissioned by STACK Construction Technologies, a US construction-software vendor that builds AI features into its own products. The company therefore has a direct commercial stake in wider AI adoption across the industry. The study, conducted by Censuswide, was published as the “Construction Knowledge Gap Report” and was covered on September 30, 2026, by trade outlet ISHN (US).
The report surveyed 500 US workers aged 18 to 35 with up to three years of construction experience, between August 19 and 25, 2026. According to the findings, 82% would stay longer with an employer that invests in modern technology; among 18- to 25-year-olds that rises to 90%, versus 77% among 26- to 35-year-olds. That 82% figure refers to technology in general, not specifically to AI, although ISHN’s headline suggests otherwise. In addition, 24% see AI specifically as an opportunity to close skills gaps in the trade.
Friction Between Young Workers and Management
The study also points to friction within companies. According to respondents, 51% believe managers are negative about AI or ignore the topic, and 14% say leadership views AI as useless for the trade. A quarter (25%) say they themselves push for new tools but face resistance in doing so. The report links this to consequences respondents attribute to knowledge gaps in general: 34% experience project delays, 26% report costly errors as a result, and 21% say customer trust is at stake. ISHN and STACK draw a connection between these knowledge gaps and reluctance around AI, but the figures do not establish how large a role AI knowledge specifically plays relative to trade knowledge in the broader sense.
Context
Independent of this vendor-funded study, an analysis by industry association Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), published in January 2026, indicates that the US construction industry will need roughly 349,000 additional workers in 2026. ABC bases this on its own model that converts expected growth in construction spending into labor demand, combined with expected retirements. According to ABC’s chief economist, most of that demand does not come from growth but from the retirement of experienced tradespeople: roughly one-fifth of US electricians are older than 55. Retaining and training young entrants is therefore a structural concern, independent of AI’s role.
Relevance for HSE Professionals Worldwide
For safety and health professionals outside the US, this is relevant mainly as a signal, not a blueprint: many countries with a similarly aging skilled workforce face the same challenge of transferring knowledge to new entrants in time. How young workers experience new technology on the job directly affects onboarding, mentorship, and how trade knowledge – including safety knowledge – gets passed on. However, the figures in this report come from a single, software-vendor-funded study of exclusively US respondents, and do not support direct conclusions about AI and physical safety on the construction site.
Source: Report: 82% of Entry-Level Construction Workers see AI as a Career Lifeline, not a Threat, 30-09-2026
Further research: Construction industry must add 349,000 workers in 2026 (Associated Builders and Contractors, via Distribution Strategy)
