As the year winds down and many of you start closing out jobs and planning for 2027, we have plenty to share. This month, we're heading to Trimble Dimensions in Las Vegas, rolling out Two-Factor Authentication to help keep your account secure, and breaking down the latest construction industry numbers. You'll also find our Refer a Friend program and a new blog post on why labor costs go over budget and how to catch problems early. From all of us at mJob, Happy Thanksgiving!
Reece Jordan
Communications Director
The latest data heading into November shows spending pulling back in September and material costs climbing faster, while backlogs hold up and contractors still struggle to fill open positions.
U.S. construction spending fell 1.9% in September, reversing August's 0.9% gain. Spending has trailed last year's pace for most of 2026, with data center construction carrying much of the growth while manufacturing and residential work slow down.
Construction job openings reached 251,000 at the end of August, up 18% from a year earlier. Average hourly earnings for construction production workers hit $39.20 in September, about 20% above the private-sector average, as firms compete for skilled field labor.
Construction input costs are now 11.9% higher than a year ago, up from 8.9% last month. Price increases that started in fuel and metals have spread to other goods and delivery charges, putting even more pressure on bids and margins.
Contractor backlog rose to 8.7 months in September, its second straight monthly gain, with data center contractors averaging more than 11 months. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates in September for the first time since 2023, making financing more expensive.
mJob is heading to Las Vegas, Nevada for Trimble Dimensions 2026, happening November 9-11 at The Venetian Resort.
Stop by Booth 2331 to meet the mJob team and see how our time tracking, equipment, and materials management tools help connect your field and office operations.
New Chat Feature
We've launched a new Zendesk Chatbot to provide instant support and answers to your mJobTime questions!
How it helps you:
mJob Now Has Two-Factor Authentication
mJob now supports Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), adding an extra layer of protection to your account. Along with your password, users verify their identity with a second step when they log in.
Protect your data. Even if a password is lost or stolen, a second verification step helps keep unauthorized users out of your company's time, payroll, and job cost information.
Easy to set up. Our help article walks you through turning on 2FA and what your users will see the next time they log in.
Know a contractor who could work smarter with mJob? Send them our way. When your referral completes a qualified demo, we'll send you a $50 digital gift card as a thank you.
Labor overruns often stay hidden until payroll closes or job costs are updated, and by then it's hard to recover. Learn the most common causes, from miscoded time and recurring overtime to untracked extra work, and how daily tracking by job and cost code plus a simple weekly labor review help you spot problems while there's still time to act.
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