Since May 2019, the change in the cost of final delivery construction — the prices paid to domestic construction firms — has increased by more than 42%, according to a GlobeSt.com analysis of government Producer Price Index data. Supply chains are better and prices on basic materials like lumber are down 79% from  their nose-bleed highs in May 2021. Costs of construction components can still be pricey and not all supply chain woes are completely settled.

But labor is still high, and availability is tight. There are too few people willing and able to do the work. What can companies do? Automate.

Suffolk Technologies, a venture capital firm that focuses on new technologies for construction, architecture, real estate, and infrastructure, recently hosted its Robotics in Construction 2023 event in its Roxbury, Mass. headquarters.