The Construction Economist — June 5, 2026

Construction Help Wanted - Construction job openings rose 25,000 in April. Plus a $3.5B California high-speed rail job awarded, a record $16B data center in Michigan, single-family building slips in every region, Brazil tariffs on the table, and a permitting fight reaches the Supreme Court.

Top News

Construction job openings rose 25,000 in April — and firms still can't fill them

Construction Executive · ~2 min read

Construction job openings increased by 25,000 in April, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics' JOLTS data cited by Associated Builders and Contractors. Firms did little hiring and little firing — ABC noted layoffs hit their lowest April level since 2022 and said labor availability is "unlikely to improve in the short term." Total construction employment stood at 8.32 million jobs in April, up 0.6% year over year.

Kiewit-led JV picked for $3.5B California high-speed rail job

Construction Dive · ~3 min read

A Kiewit, Stacey Witbeck and Herzog joint venture was selected to build a $3.5 billion, 119-mile section of California's high-speed rail line running partway between Bakersfield and Merced. The award falls under a scaled-back plan aimed at getting trains running by 2033.

Record $16B data center project advances in Michigan

ENR · ~3 min read

A record $16 billion data center campus is moving ahead in Michigan, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman commenting publicly on the future of the controversial site now under construction, ENR reports. The OpenAI-linked development ranks among the largest single data center investments announced to date.

Project Finance & Economics

Single-family construction slipped in every U.S. region in Q1

NAHB Eye on Housing · ~3 min read

Single-family construction declined across all geographies in the first quarter of 2026, according to NAHB's latest Home Building Geography Index, which tied the pullback to elevated interest rates, rising material costs and labor shortages. Multifamily construction held up better, posting growth in most markets over the same period.

Materials & Supply Chain

USTR floats 25% tariff on Brazilian imports

Supply Chain Dive · ~2 min read

The U.S. Trade Representative proposed a 25% tariff on imports from Brazil as the result of a Section 301 investigation opened last year. A public hearing on the proposed levy is scheduled for July 6. Brazil is a major supplier of semi-finished steel and pig iron to the U.S. market.

Policy, Codes & Regulation

Key permitting dispute heads to the Supreme Court

ARTBA · ~2 min read

A significant federal permitting dispute is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, with ARTBA and industry partners filing in the case. The road and transportation builders' association is weighing in on a question with direct bearing on how infrastructure projects clear environmental review.

On the Radar

Alphabet seeks $80B to fund its AI build-out

Data Center Dynamics · ~2 min read

Google parent Alphabet is seeking $80 billion to finance its AI build-out and has sold $10 billion in stock to Berkshire Hathaway, per Data Center Dynamics. The raise is a measure of how much capital the hyperscalers are committing to new data center capacity — even as the construction labor to build it stays tight.

The Construction Economist — What's Moving Construction? The Economic Look-Ahead.