Specialty contractor labor shortages – namely, in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, steel and concrete – are debilitating more than 90% of commercial real estate construction projects today, according to new research from the Dodge Construction Network's 2022 Top Business Issues for Specialty Contractors Report.

The research, done in partnership with Procore Technologies, a global provider of construction management software, showed that projects have been negatively affected by a shortage of skilled labor.

Furthermore, experts anticipate the current shortage to become worse as on average, 33 percent of the current workforce is likely to retire in the next five years.