Can you meet tight project timelines while managing your resources efficiently? If you’re like most contractors today, you’re juggling labor shortages, fragmented workforce data, and increasingly complex projects. The old way of workforce planning is becoming a liability. Those spreadsheets and processes that live in one person’s head fall apart quickly when unexpected changes require real-time coordination.

You’re not alone in these struggles. According to Bridgit’s 2025 State of Workforce Planning report, 93% of construction leaders report that labor shortages are impacting their operations, with increased costs and reduced ability to take on new projects topping their concerns. The industry faces unprecedented challenges: record-high job openings of 445,000 per month, an aging workforce with over 20% of workers approaching retirement, and fierce competition for skilled talent.

These pressures are reshaping how successful contractors approach workforce planning. The days of managing resources through manual processes and gut instinct are over. Today’s competitive landscape demands a sophisticated approach that leverages data, technology, and strategic thinking to optimize your most valuable asset: your people.

Effective workforce planning is the key to hitting deadlines, managing costs, and keeping your workforce productive. To meet these challenges, you need a new approach that’s centralized, data-driven, and fully collaborative. Industry leaders like Skanska USA, Boldt, and Balfour Beatty have already embraced this transformation.

Eight workforce planning challenges facing contractors today

The construction industry operates on razor-thin margins, where setbacks like inefficient workforce planning or compliance violations can derail profitability. With project complexity increasing and client expectations rising, the stakes have never been higher. Let’s examine the eight main challenges you’re likely facing and explore practical solutions.

1. Manual outdated systems creating inefficiencies

If you’re still managing workforce planning through Excel spreadsheets, you’re not alone. Research shows that 71% of construction companies still rely on spreadsheets alongside their workforce management software. But here’s the problem: up to 90% of spreadsheets contain errors, and only one person can update them at a time.

Think about your current process. How many hours does your team spend each week on repetitive data entry and compliance tracking? These manual workflows cause delays, missed deadlines, and compliance gaps. Worse yet, 43% of employees would consider leaving their job due to inefficient data access.

The hidden costs extend beyond time waste. Manual systems create single points of failure when key employees are unavailable, increase the risk of costly errors in project estimates, and make it nearly impossible to respond quickly to changing project needs.

Solution: Modern workforce planning platforms eliminate these bottlenecks by automating data entry and providing real-time updates accessible to your entire team. Instead of waiting for spreadsheet updates, everyone works from the same live data. This transformation typically reduces time spent on workforce planning by 60-70%, freeing your team to focus on strategic decisions.

2. Limited workforce visibility and utilization

Without a unified view of your workforce, you’re essentially flying blind. You might have skilled workers sitting idle on one project while another project desperately needs their expertise. This lack of visibility leads to inefficient crew assignments, underutilization, and unnecessary overtime costs.

Consider this scenario: a project manager in Denver doesn’t know that your Chicago office has two experienced superintendents finishing a project next week. Instead of transferring these skilled workers, both offices end up hiring externally or paying overtime. This fragmentation costs money and burns out your teams.

The problem compounds with specialized skills and certifications. That crane operator with specific manufacturer certifications might be exactly what your Seattle project needs, but without visibility across regions, you’ll never make that connection.

Solution: Bridgit Bench provides a real-time, holistic view of your workforce across all active projects. You can see at a glance who’s available, what skills they have, and where they’re needed most. Advanced filtering lets you search by specific skills, certifications, or experience, ensuring you always find the right person for each role.

As Morgan Traynor from Ryan Companies explains, “We were managing our resources in 30 different spreadsheets, creating confusion and uncertainty. Bridgit Bench allowed us to consolidate our resource planning into a single platform.”

3. Labor shortage impacts

The construction industry faces a structural labor shortage that’s only getting worse. You need to attract more than 439,000 new workers in 2025 alone just to meet current demand. With more than 20% of construction workers over age 55 and approaching retirement, the knowledge gap is widening daily.

This shortage forces you to compensate with higher wages (average union settlements grew 4.6% in 2024), enhanced benefits packages, and aggressive recruitment efforts. But throwing money at the problem isn’t sustainable. You need to maximize the productivity and satisfaction of your existing workforce while building your talent pipeline.

The ripple effects touch every aspect of your business. Projects face delays when you can’t find qualified workers. Quality suffers when you use less experienced crews. Client relationships strain when you can’t deliver on promises. Your existing staff faces burnout from constant overtime, making retention even harder.

Solution: While you can’t solve the industry-wide labor shortage overnight, you can optimize your existing workforce through strategic planning. Advanced forecasting tools help you anticipate labor needs months in advance, allowing proactive recruitment and training rather than last-minute scrambling.

Smart workforce planning also helps identify and develop high-potential employees, creating internal talent pipelines that reduce dependence on external hiring. By tracking skills across your workforce, you can invest in targeted training that fills specific gaps.

4. Inadequate forecasting and planning capabilities

Traditional manual forecasting can’t keep pace with today’s dynamic project environment. When project scopes shift, materials arrive late, or weather disrupts schedules, you need to adjust labor plans immediately. Yet many contractors still rely on static spreadsheets that take hours or days to update.

Research indicates that 62% of contractors struggle with candidates lacking required skills, making accurate forecasting even more critical. You need to know not just how many workers you’ll need, but what specific skills and certifications they must have.

The cost of poor forecasting hits your bottom line directly. Underestimating labor needs leads to expensive last-minute hiring or overtime. Overestimating leaves workers idle, eroding profit margins. Without accurate forecasting, you’re essentially guessing at one of your largest project costs.

Solution: Data-driven forecasting uses your historical project data to predict future needs accurately. Bridgit Bench’s analytics examine past projects to identify patterns and help you make informed decisions about staffing levels, skill requirements, and timing. The platform can run multiple scenarios, showing how different project timelines or crew compositions affect your overall workforce needs.

5. Skills and experience tracking gaps

Do you know which workers have current OSHA certification? Who’s qualified to operate specific equipment? Which superintendent has experience with hospital projects? Without integrated systems to track worker skills and certifications in real time, you risk assigning unqualified workers or missing certification renewal deadlines.

These gaps create serious risks. One expired certification discovered during an inspection can shut down your project and trigger costly penalties. Beyond compliance, poor skills tracking means you’re not fully utilizing your workforce’s capabilities. That journeyman electrician might also be certified in specialized systems perfect for your upcoming data center project, but without proper tracking, you’d never know.

The challenge intensifies as projects become more specialized. Healthcare facilities require specific infection control training. Data centers need workers familiar with critical systems protocols. Managing these requirements through manual systems becomes impossible as your workforce grows.

Solution: Centralized certification tracking with automated alerts ensures you never miss a renewal deadline. Bridgit’s platform monitors expiration dates and sends notifications well in advance, keeping you compliant and avoiding work stoppages. The system also tracks experience by project type, allowing you to build teams with proven expertise in specific sectors.

6. Technology integration challenges

Your workforce data probably lives in multiple systems: HR tracks employee information, project management software holds project data, and accounting manages payroll. This fragmented landscape creates data silos that slow decision-making and increase errors.

About 33% of construction professionals report difficulties integrating their various systems effectively. Your team spends valuable time manually transferring data between systems, increasing error risk and creating multiple versions of the truth.

Integration challenges also limit your ability to gain insights from your data. When workforce information is scattered across systems, you can’t easily analyze trends, identify inefficiencies, or make data-driven decisions.

Solution: Modern workforce planning platforms integrate with your existing software stack. Bridgit Bench connects with tools like Procore, Autodesk, and various HR systems, creating a unified data ecosystem. This integration eliminates double data entry and ensures everyone works from consistent, up-to-date information.

The right integrations transform your technology stack from isolated tools into a connected ecosystem. Project data flows automatically into workforce planning. HR updates sync in real-time. This connectivity enables real-time decision-making that keeps projects on track and profitable.

7. Communication and collaboration barriers

Workforce planning requires input from project managers, HR, operations leaders, and field supervisors. But when updates happen through scattered emails and outdated spreadsheets, miscommunication is inevitable. Version control becomes a nightmare, and critical decisions get delayed.

Think about your last workforce planning meeting. How much time was spent just getting everyone on the same page? These communication inefficiencies compound across every project and decision, creating constant drag on productivity.

Poor communication affects your workforce directly. When assignment changes aren’t communicated clearly, workers show up at the wrong jobsite. When project timelines shift but field teams aren’t notified, you face conflicts and confusion that erode trust and morale.

Solution: Collaborative workforce planning platforms provide a single source of truth where all stakeholders can view and update information in real time. Built-in communication tools ensure important updates reach the right people immediately.

Jamie Miller from Sellen Construction shares the impact: “The biggest change with Bridgit was we were able to start talking about our business or strategic initiatives, whereas before, we were mired in staffing conversations.”

8. Training and development management

Managing continuous workforce training, upskilling, and safety certifications grows more complex as requirements multiply. 42% of construction firms are increasing their training investments, but many struggle to track who needs what training and when.

The challenge goes beyond compliance. As construction methods evolve and new technologies emerge, your workforce needs continuous development to stay competitive. Building information modeling, drone operations, and green building techniques all require specialized training. Without systematic tracking, critical skills gaps emerge just when you need them most.

Training management also affects your ability to win work. Many RFPs require proof of specific certifications or training programs. If you can’t quickly demonstrate your team’s qualifications, you lose opportunities to competitors with better documentation.

Solution: Integrated training management within your workforce planning system creates a complete picture of each worker’s qualifications and development needs. You can schedule training proactively, track completion, and ensure your workforce maintains all necessary skills and certifications. The system can also identify workers ready for advancement, supporting career development and improving retention.

Moving forward with modern workforce planning

These eight challenges might seem overwhelming, but they’re not insurmountable. The key is recognizing that workforce planning has evolved from a back-office HR task to a strategic business function central to project success. According to industry research, 80% of workforce planning decision-makers say these activities are vital for business outcomes, yet 87% admit they lack the in-house capability to execute effectively.

The most successful contractors embrace technology-enabled, data-driven workforce planning. They’re breaking down data silos, automating manual processes, and creating collaborative environments where everyone has access to the information they need. These companies report significant improvements: reduced planning time, better project outcomes, higher employee satisfaction, and improved profitability.

Your workforce is your most valuable asset. In an industry facing persistent labor shortages and increasing project complexity, optimizing how you plan, deploy, and develop your teams isn’t optional. It’s essential for survival and growth. The contractors who view workforce planning as a strategic advantage rather than an administrative burden are winning more work, delivering better projects, and building sustainable businesses.

Whether you’re managing multiple projects across different states or balancing workforce utilization on local jobs, the principles remain the same. You need visibility, accurate forecasting, integrated systems, and collaborative tools that keep everyone aligned. The technology exists today to transform your workforce planning from a source of stress into a competitive advantage.

The contractors who thrive in 2025 and beyond will be those who transform their workforce planning from a reactive scramble into a proactive, strategic advantage. The tools and strategies exist today to make this transformation. The question is: are you ready to leave those error-prone spreadsheets behind and embrace a better way of managing your most important resource? Your competition is already making this move. Can you afford to wait?