A counteroffer that moves your construction finalist from median pay to the 80th percentile costs their current employer a 10% to 17% raise, based on TBG’s 2026 Construction Salary Survey. That is cheap compared with replacing a superintendent or project manager in the middle of a job.
So expect it. Construction leaders are not quitting much in 2026, and the companies that have them are paying to keep them.
The fix is to plan for the counteroffer before you make your offer.
Last updated: November 2026
How Common Are Counteroffers?
Common enough to plan for.
In a Robert Half survey of 2,000 UK employees taken in December 2021, 57% said they had received a counteroffer and 53% of those accepted it. In a Hudson RPO survey of nearly 350 professionals in June 2024, 57% had received one.
Neither survey is construction-specific or U.S.-only. No construction association publishes counteroffer data.
You will also see the line that “80% of people who accept a counteroffer leave within six months.” We could not find a named survey behind it. The closest real number is from that same Robert Half survey: 34% of those who accepted had left within six months, and 74% within a year.
The takeaway is simple. Counteroffers happen often, and they do not always hold. Neither fact helps you if your finalist stays.
Why Construction Counteroffers Are Harder to Beat in 2026
Construction leaders are staying put. The construction quits rate was 1.8% in August 2026, below the 1.9% rate for all industries, according to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (preliminary, released September 29, 2026).
Fewer people leaving means fewer proven leaders on the market. 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.
Their current employer knows that too. Losing a superintendent mid-project means finding a replacement in the same tight market you are hiring in.
Field roles are where the pressure is highest. Superintendent openings at TBG rose 84% in the first ten months of 2026, according to our construction hiring trends data.
What a Counteroffer Costs the Current Employer
Here is the raise it takes to move a leader from median base pay to the 80th percentile, by role and region.
| Role and region | Median base | 80th percentile | Raise to match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Manager, Midwest | $133,550 | $149,750 | 12% |
| Project Manager, Southeast | $130,970 | $148,850 | 14% |
| Senior Project Manager, Southeast | $166,130 | $187,540 | 13% |
| Superintendent I, Midwest | $133,290 | $149,970 | 13% |
| Superintendent I, Southeast | $127,010 | $142,290 | 12% |
| General Superintendent, Midwest | $199,950 | $219,020 | 10% |
| General Superintendent, Southeast | $212,240 | $248,810 | 17% |
Source: TBG 2026 Construction Salary Survey, base salary only, no bonus. Raise is the 80th percentile divided by the median, rounded.
A 10% to 17% raise is a small price for a contractor to avoid a mid-job leadership gap. If your offer only matches that number, you have not given your finalist a reason to leave.
Raises are not the only lever. Employers also counter with titles, bonuses, project assignments, and schedule changes. We found no survey that measures how often each one is used, so treat them as the usual playbook, not a statistic.
How to Stop a Construction Counteroffer Before It Happens
1. Ask the stay question in the first conversation. “What would your company have to do to keep you?” If the answer is a number, you are bidding against their employer. If the answer is the work, the commute, or the boss, money alone will not win them back.
2. Price the offer before the final interview. Check your finalist’s level and region in the 2026 Construction Salary Survey and decide in advance where you will land. An offer that arrives at the 80th percentile leaves less room to counter than one that arrives at the median.
3. Shorten the gap between final interview and written offer. Every day between them gives the current employer time to hear that their superintendent is looking.
4. Put the start date and the first project in writing. A leader who knows which job they are walking onto is harder to talk out of it.
5. Prepare your finalist for the resignation conversation. Talk through what their boss is likely to offer before they walk in. A counteroffer they saw coming carries less weight than one that surprises them.
6. Keep the search confidential. When the market knows you are hiring, so does your finalist’s employer.
Working with construction executive recruiters who manage the offer through the start date covers steps 3 through 6 for you.
What to Do When Your Finalist Gets Countered
Do not panic and do not open a bidding war on the spot.
Ask what changed. If the counteroffer fixes the reason they started looking, you may lose them, and that is useful to know now rather than after they start.
If it is only money, compare the counteroffer with the survey. If their employer jumped them above the 80th percentile, they are now paid above market for their level, which usually means more pressure on them, not less.
Then decide whether one adjustment makes sense, such as a signing bonus or an earlier review date, rather than another round of base pay.
Construction Counteroffer FAQ
How common are counteroffers?
In a Robert Half survey of 2,000 UK employees (December 2021), 57% had received a counteroffer and 53% of those accepted. A Hudson RPO survey of nearly 350 professionals (June 2024) also found 57%. Neither is construction-specific; no construction association publishes counteroffer data.
Do people who accept a counteroffer leave anyway?
Often. In the same Robert Half survey, 34% of employees who accepted a counteroffer had left within six months and 74% within a year. The widely quoted “80% leave within six months” has no traceable source.
How big is a typical construction counteroffer?
Moving a construction leader from median base pay to the 80th percentile is a 10% to 17% raise, depending on role and region, based on TBG’s 2026 Construction Salary Survey. A Project Manager in the Midwest, for example, goes from $133,550 to $149,750, a 12% raise.
Why are construction counteroffers harder to beat in 2026?
Fewer leaders are leaving their jobs. The construction quits rate was 1.8% in August 2026 (BLS JOLTS, preliminary), and 87% of firms hiring salaried staff told AGC and NCCER those roles were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier.
How do you prevent a candidate from accepting a counteroffer?
Ask early what would make them stay, price your offer against the 2026 survey before the final interview, move quickly to a written offer with a start date, and prepare the candidate for the resignation conversation.
Counteroffers are part of hiring construction leaders in 2026. The contractors who plan for them keep their finalists. If you are about to make an offer on a superintendent or PM, open a confidential search or call 248.647.7766, and the first conversation covers market rate and how to close, not resumes.
