Superintendent openings at The Birmingham Group rose 84% in 2026. From January through October, contractors brought us 35 superintendent searches, up from 19 in the same months of 2025.
Project manager openings rose 35%, from 26 to 35. Michigan and Florida accounted for 69 of the 115 leadership openings we posted, or 60%.
The hiring pressure in 2026 is in the field.
Last updated: November 2026
Construction Hiring Trends 2026 at a Glance
Here is every opening TBG posted from January through October, grouped by job title.
| Role | Jan to Oct 2025 | Jan to Oct 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superintendent and field lead | 19 | 35 | Up 84% |
| Project manager | 26 | 35 | Up 35% |
| Estimating and preconstruction | 20 | 18 | Down 10% |
| Executive and director | 22 | 9 | Down 59% |
| Project or cost engineer | 4 | 6 | Up 2 |
| PM and estimator combined | 1 | 3 | Up 2 |
| Safety | 4 | 2 | Down 2 |
| Design, office and other | 9 | 7 | Down 2 |
| Total | 105 | 115 | Up 10% |
Source: TBG job postings, January 1 to October 31 of each year, grouped by job title. TBG search activity, not an industry survey.
Total openings grew 10%. The mix changed far more than the volume.
Superintendent Demand Rose 84% in 2026
Superintendents went from our fourth most common search in 2025 to tied for first in 2026.
The shift showed up in the titles. Eight of the 2026 openings were traveling superintendents, up from three in 2025. Contractors also asked for lead superintendents in Orlando, The Villages and the Mid-Atlantic, plus retail, healthcare, federal and data center specialists.
A contractor can win work with a thin bench of PMs for a while. It cannot start a job without someone running the site.
The wider market tells the same story. In the AGC and NCCER 2026 Workforce Survey, run in July and August 2026, 87% of firms hiring salaried staff said those roles were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier. 42% said worker shortages delayed projects.
Pay follows the scope. In TBG’s 2026 Construction Salary Survey, median base pay in the Midwest runs from $133,290 for a Superintendent I on $5 million to $49 million jobs to $199,950 for a general superintendent on work above $250 million. In the Southeast, the same range runs from $127,010 to $212,240.
Contractors who want a field leader before their next job mobilizes should start a superintendent search while preconstruction is still open, not after the notice to proceed.
Project Manager Openings Rose 35%
PM searches climbed from 26 to 35, with healthcare, retail, federal and water work all represented.
Three more openings asked for a PM and estimator in one person, up from one in 2025. That role usually shows up when one person bids the job and then builds it.
It is a harder hire than either role alone. In TBG’s 2026 survey, project managers on $10 million to $49 million jobs earn a median base of $133,550 in the Midwest and $130,970 in the Southeast. Senior PMs on $20 million to $100 million jobs earn $158,790 and $166,130.
Contractors using a PM recruiter for the combined role should expect a narrower candidate pool and benchmark the offer against both the PM and estimator pay tables.
Why Posted Executive Openings Fell 59%
Executive and director postings dropped from 22 to 9. That does not mean contractors stopped hiring leaders.
Many executive searches are confidential. The person in the seat often has not been told yet, or the company does not want competitors to see the move. Those searches run without a public posting.
Much of the VP, division manager and president work our construction executive recruiters handle never appears on a job board. The 2026 executive openings we did post included vice presidents of construction in Pittsburgh and Wheeling, a federal project executive and a director of preconstruction for the Southeast.
Read the 59% drop as a change in how executive searches are run, not a drop in demand.
Water, Wastewater and Civil Openings Doubled
Openings with water, wastewater, civil or utility in the title rose from 8 to 17.
Contractors asked us for water and wastewater PMs in Sacramento, Orlando, Bradenton, Boise and Detroit, a WWTP superintendent in Kalamazoo, a WWTP lead estimator in Sacramento, and heavy civil estimators in Huntsville and Metro Detroit.
Public plant work needs people who know agency submittals, inspection hold points and process startup, so wastewater construction recruiting screens for plant experience first.
Heavy civil openings in 2026 included project managers in Vermont, Sacramento, Staten Island and Ocala, which is why contractors bring in heavy civil recruiters who already know who is running bridge, site and utility work in each market.
Where the 2026 Openings Were: Michigan and Florida
Michigan led with 39 openings, up from 27. Florida followed with 30, down slightly from 34. Together they made up 60% of the year.
Michigan demand ran through Metro Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Kalamazoo and Northern Michigan, from concrete superintendents to healthcare PMs. Florida demand centered on Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Miami and the Ocala and Wildwood corridor.
Twelve 2026 openings covered several states or were nationwide, up from 2 in 2025. About half were superintendent roles, including traveling superintendents for retail and industrial work. New York and Pennsylvania had 6 openings each.
Candidates can see which of these markets are hiring now on our construction jobs page.
What 2026 Hiring Means for Contractors
Price superintendents before you post. In the Midwest, a Superintendent I median ($133,290) sits within $300 of a project manager median ($133,550). Check the role and region in the 2026 Construction Salary Survey before the offer goes out.
Start field searches earlier. Superintendent searches nearly doubled in one year. A search started after the job is awarded is already late.
Plan executive moves quietly. If you need to replace a VP or division leader, run it as a confidential search from the start.
These are actual 2026 openings. Our 2026 role forecast from last November predicted where demand would go, and our 2027 hiring outlook covers which roles we expect to stay hardest to fill next year.
What 2026 Hiring Means for Superintendents and PMs
If you run jobs in the field, 2026 gave you more options than 2025 did. Traveling and lead superintendent roles grew fastest.
If you are a PM who also estimates, you are a rare hire, and contractors posted three of those roles with us in 2026.
Many of the roles we fill are never posted. You can submit your construction resume confidentially so our recruiters can match you when one opens.
Construction Hiring Trends 2026: FAQ
Which construction leadership roles did contractors hire for most in 2026?
Superintendents and project managers tied for first, with 35 openings each from January through October 2026 in TBG’s search data. Superintendent openings rose 84% over 2025, and PM openings rose 35%.
Is the construction superintendent shortage getting worse?
Superintendent openings at TBG nearly doubled in 2026, from 19 to 35, and traveling superintendent roles rose from 3 to 8. In the AGC and NCCER 2026 Workforce Survey, 87% of firms hiring salaried staff said those roles were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier.
How much do construction superintendents make in 2026?
In TBG’s 2026 Construction Salary Survey, Midwest median base pay runs from $133,290 for a Superintendent I to $199,950 for a general superintendent. Southeast medians run from $127,010 to $212,240. Figures are base salary only, without bonus.
Which states had the most construction leadership openings in 2026?
Michigan had 39 of TBG’s 115 openings and Florida had 30, together 60% of the total. New York and Pennsylvania had 6 each, and 12 openings covered several states or were nationwide.
Why did executive job postings drop in 2026?
TBG’s posted executive and director openings fell from 22 to 9, but many executive searches are confidential and never posted. The drop reflects how those searches are run, not lower demand for construction leaders.
The 2026 numbers point one direction: the seats that run the work got harder to fill. If you have a superintendent or PM gap on a job that starts in the next six months, open a confidential search or call 248.647.7766, and the first conversation covers scope and market rate, not resumes.
