Construction's 349,000 Worker Deficit: ABC's 2026 Labor Report and Charlotte's $20B Building Boom Collision

ABC reports construction must attract 349,000 net new workers in 2026 despite macroeconomic headwinds — the clearest statement yet of the sector's annual labor gap. Spectrum News reports Charlotte's $20 billion building boom is colliding with the construction worker shortage in real time. The Construction Workforce Coalition is expanding recruiting efforts, but the apprentice-to-journeyman pipeline takes years. This episode covers what the 349,000 number means operationally and what retention-fi