Augmented Trades participates in affiliate programs and may earn a commission from links in this article, at no extra cost to you. We recommend tools on fit, not commissions. See our affiliate disclosure.
Housekeeping note: this issue is running Saturday instead of our usual Friday slot. Same week, same standard.
One story owned the week: labor. JPMorgan, Google, and a venture-backed robot company all put money behind the same bet — that the shortage of skilled tradespeople is the defining constraint in construction right now. If you run a shop, that constraint is also your pricing power. Here is what happened and what it means for your business.
Wall Street’s newest infrastructure play is your apprentice pipeline
Speaking from the Philadelphia Navy Yard on Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said the U.S. needs 300,000 electricians, welders, and other skilled workers over the next five to ten years just to rebuild shipbuilding — and announced a 24 million dollar investment in loans and grants to expand training and apprenticeships there, tied to a new submarine facility expected to create 450 permanent jobs. He put the earnings path at 80,000 to 100,000 dollars a year after a year or two of paid training.
He is late to the party. Per the same Fortune report, Lowe’s committed 250 million dollars in April to train 250,000 tradespeople, BlackRock put up 100 million in March, Meta launched a 115 million dollar data-center trades academy in June, and Google.org expanded its skilled-trades funding to 50 million dollars across 14 unions and four trade associations. The backdrop, per a JLL analysis Fortune cites: 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could sit unfilled by 2030.
What it means for you: this money funds pre-apprentices and first-years — it does not produce a licensed journeyman before roughly 2030. The near-term labor market stays tight, and the recruiters now bidding for your best techs include shipyards and data centers, not just the shop across town. Retention is cheaper than replacement; if you have been putting off a pay review or a clearer path for your seconds, this is the season to do it. Our electricians software guide covers the tools that squeeze more billable hours out of the crew you already have.
A robot subcontractor raised 32 million dollars to lay brick in America
Amsterdam-based Monumental raised a 32 million dollar Series B led by Khosla Ventures to bring its fleet of self-driving bricklaying robots to the U.S. this year, starting with Texas, Florida, Virginia, and Arizona. The model is the interesting part: Monumental does not sell contractors a machine. It bids like a specialty masonry sub — priced per brick or per square meter — and its robots use whatever brick and mortar the job already specifies, so there is nothing new for code officials to approve. The company says it has more than 150 robots on live European sites.
What it means for you: if you are a GC in one of those four states, you may see a robot masonry bid within a year or two. Nobody’s service truck is being automated here — the founder himself told Fortune that even 10,000 robots would only dent a labor gap that the Associated Builders and Contractors puts at 349,000 net new workers needed in 2026 alone. But “robot crew priced like a sub” is a template that will not stay confined to brick. Our general contractor software guide is where we track the tech that actually changes GC workflows.
Labor is officially the biggest number on your bid sheet
Turner & Townsend’s new global construction market survey, covered by Data Centre Review, found that 87% of markets report shortages in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades — the worst of any category — and that labor availability is now the primary driver of construction cost escalation worldwide. Roughly 79% of North American markets report shortages or severe shortages, and the firm expects global construction cost inflation to tick up from 4.2% in 2025 to 4.5% in 2026. The demand pull is exactly what you would guess: data centers ranked as the most in-demand, capacity-constrained construction sector in the world.
What it means for you: if you are pricing multi-month work at a flat labor rate, you are absorbing escalation risk your competitors are starting to price in. MEP contractors in particular are holding the strongest hand — bid accordingly. Job costing and hours tracking are how you see the squeeze before it eats a margin; our time-tracking guide and HVAC software guide both cover this.
Two-week warning: QuickBooks Online reprices August 1
A reminder from our earlier coverage, now with Intuit’s final numbers: QuickBooks Online renewals on or after August 1 move Essentials from 75 to 85 dollars a month, Plus from 115 to 140, and Advanced from 275 to 340, per Intuit’s official announcement. Free, Lite, Ledger, and Simple Start are unchanged, and the website shows new pricing August 3. One real sweetener: Advanced will include Bill Pay Elite at no extra cost plus new construction tools — phase budgets, AIA-style billing, and change-order management. Full breakdown and what to do before your renewal date in our QBO price-increase guide, and if you are new to QBO entirely, start with the contractor’s QuickBooks Online guide.
Sources
- Fortune — Dimon on the shipbuilding trades shortage (July 16, 2026)
- Google — 50 million dollar skilled trades commitment (June 11, 2026)
- Fortune — Monumental Series B (July 15, 2026)
- Data Centre Review — Turner & Townsend market survey (July 9, 2026)
- Intuit — QuickBooks Online August pricing changes and pricing FAQ
Augmented Trades participates in affiliate programs and may earn a commission from links in this article, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
Answer a few quick questions and our free Tool Finder builds you a custom software shortlist — with the reasoning and pricing behind each pick.
Find your tools (free) →
Michael is the founder of Augmented Trades, an independent site that tests and reviews AI tools for trade contractors. Tools are recommended on fit for your shop — affiliate partnerships never decide coverage.