Construction Giants Back AI Platform to Fix Crippling Labor Shortage

NEW YORK, NY – June 22, 2026 – In a move signaling a significant shift in how the construction industry tackles its most persistent challenge, AI-powered hiring platform Skillit has announced a strategic partnership with two of the nation's largest builders, DPR Construction and Suffolk Construction. The collaboration, supported by equity investments from DPR’s venture arm, WND Ventures, and Suffolk’s venture affiliate, Suffolk Technologies, marks a critical moment where industry leaders are directly investing in workforce infrastructure to combat a crippling skilled labor shortage.

The partnership positions DPR and Suffolk as national-scale design partners, embedding them in the development of Skillit's platform. This move validates AI-powered hiring as a core strategic tool, elevating it to the same level of importance as project management and procurement systems in an industry under immense pressure to build faster and more efficiently.

The Unyielding Labor Crisis

The backdrop for this partnership is a construction labor market in a state of chronic crisis. The industry is grappling with a massive workforce deficit, with the Associated Builders and Contractors estimating a need for over 500,000 additional workers on top of normal hiring just to meet demand in 2023. Projections show this gap persisting, with a need for nearly half a million new workers annually through 2026.

This scarcity is not an abstract economic figure; it has tangible consequences on the ground. Surveys consistently reveal that over 90% of construction firms report difficulty finding qualified craft workers. This directly translates to project delays, increased costs, and a reduced capacity for firms to take on new work, stifling growth. The economic impact is staggering, with one study attributing a $10.8 billion annual loss in residential construction alone to delays caused by the labor shortage.

Driving this crisis is a perfect storm of demographic and economic factors. The construction workforce is aging rapidly, with estimates suggesting that 41% of current workers are on track to retire by 2031. Meanwhile, the pipeline of new talent has dwindled, as younger generations have been steered away from vocational careers. Compounding the problem is the industry's historically low productivity growth, which has lagged far behind other sectors, making it difficult to do more with less.

AI Steps In: A New Blueprint for Hiring

It is into this challenging environment that Skillit has introduced a fundamentally new approach. The company is on a mission to solve the labor shortage by fixing access to the millions of skilled workers who already exist but are often invisible to traditional, inefficient hiring methods. “The world’s ambition has outpaced its capacity to build, and today we lack both the skilled workforce and the systems needed to deploy that talent to deliver America’s most mission-critical projects,” said Fraser Patterson, Founder & CEO of Skillit.

Skillit’s platform is a purpose-built, AI-powered infrastructure layer for craft hiring. It operates on what it claims is the nation’s largest network of vetted craft workers, which is growing by thousands each week. Unlike generalist job boards, Skillit’s system is designed with the specific complexities of construction in mind. Recruiters can use over 1,000 custom filters to search for candidates based on precise skills, certifications, desired pay, and even commute distance to a job site.

The platform's AI engine, which includes a recruitment assistant named “Sam,” automates the time-consuming work of outreach, screening, and interview scheduling. This allows recruiters to focus on qualified, interested candidates, dramatically accelerating the hiring process. The company reports that its technology can deliver ten times more qualified candidates and save up to 50 hours of recruiter time per hire. Data-rich worker profiles, built through a detailed onboarding process and proprietary skills assessments, provide employers with a deeper, more reliable understanding of a candidate's capabilities than a traditional resume ever could.

A Strategic Bet: Why Industry Leaders Are Investing

The decision by DPR Construction and Suffolk Technologies to not only invest in but also partner with Skillit represents a strategic pivot. These firms are no longer just consumers of technology; they are actively co-creating the solutions they need to survive and thrive. This move signals a recognition that in today's market, control over talent supply is a primary competitive advantage.

For DPR, a self-performing contractor known for its focus on innovation and predictable project outcomes, the partnership aligns with its core strategy. “We see the future of construction hiring as more connected, more responsive, and grounded in real jobsite needs,” said Eric Lamb, Board Member of DPR Construction. “Skillit’s platform reflects that direction with its AI-powered infrastructure that helps our teams more quickly and effectively connect with talent in the skilled trades.”

Similarly, Suffolk and its venture arm, Suffolk Technologies, have been at the forefront of investing in and deploying technologies that transform the built environment. They view AI as an essential tool for augmenting skilled labor and boosting productivity. “Construction’s workforce challenges require new infrastructure and smarter systems,” stated Jit Kee Chin, Chief Technology Officer at Suffolk Construction and Managing Partner of Suffolk Technologies. “As labor becomes the industry's most constrained resource, the ability to attract and deploy skilled talent will increasingly define the winners and losers in construction.”

By serving as national-scale design partners, both firms will provide invaluable real-world feedback, helping to ensure Skillit's platform evolves to meet the practical demands of complex construction projects and accelerates its path toward industry-wide adoption.

Building the Industry's New Backbone

Skillit’s ultimate ambition is to become the construction industry’s default infrastructure for craft and field labor. This vision positions the platform as a foundational utility, as indispensable as the software used for scheduling or financial management. The growing adoption by other industry leaders, including Swinerton, Mortenson, and Brasfield & Gorrie Industries, suggests this vision is gaining significant traction.

The partnership taps into a broader trend of surging investment in AI-enabled construction technology, which captured over $5 billion in capital in 2025. Experts agree that AI's primary role will be to augment, not replace, the human workforce, making jobs safer and more productive while attracting a new generation of tech-savvy talent to the trades.

This strategic backing from industry giants provides Skillit with the capital, expertise, and market access needed to overcome construction's historical resistance to technological change. “Suffolk Technologies has spent years tracking the evolution of workforce technology, and we believe Skillit is building one of the most important companies of this generation,” continued Diana Kay, Partner at Suffolk Technologies. “In an era defined by renewed investment in physical industries, Skillit is creating the foundational talent network for the 80% of workers who don't sit behind a desk, fundamentally changing how labor is found, mobilized, and managed across the global economy.” As the platform scales, the network effects—more workers attracting more contractors, and vice versa—will create a powerful, self-reinforcing ecosystem that could permanently reshape how America builds.