Iron, Data, and Dust: The Real Future of Automation and the Workforce

About this session

The construction industry is at an inflection point. Labor is the binding constraint. Retirement is accelerating. And the gap between how projects are run today and how they need to run tomorrow is widening fast.

At CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 — the largest construction trade show in North America — Procore took the Ground Breakers Stage to tackle this head-on. Not with theory. With the contractors, innovators, and operators already doing something about it.

What’s covered:

• Why 53% of the construction workforce is projected to retire by 2036 and what that means for your pipeline of expertise

• How leading GCs are deploying autonomous equipment on existing iron today, without a full fleet replacement

• The shift from digitizing (iPads instead of clipboards) to truly connected operations where every data point feeds a central system

• How United Rentals’ new telematics integration with Procore gives contractors a single view of owned and rented equipment, tied directly to projects and schedules

• Why automation is creating new roles in construction, not eliminating them