Construction Input Prices Up 8.4% as Sectors Compete for Labor
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Santa Clara, Calif. – September 30, 2026 -- The producer price index for new nonresidential construction inputs climbed 8.4% year over year through May 2026, the steepest annual increase since the pandemic period, according to DPR Construction's latest Market Conditions Report.
Cross-sector demand strains shared labor and supply pools
DPR Construction, a self-performing contractor, finds that investment across digital infrastructure, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, transportation and energy is pulling from the same pools of electricians, mechanical trades, commissioning specialists and field leaders. Projects that appear unrelated on paper are increasingly tied together through overlapping resource demands, the report states.