Author: Laura Black
Everyone is saying the economy is heading for a downturn—from your colleague at work, to the person on the news, to your cousin at the holidays. But is it true for homebuilders? Are we seeing a decline in house prices? And what is the 2023 outlook for the year ahead? Redfin suggests a sales slump will push home prices down for the first time in a decade. The forecast projects home sales will fall to their lowest levels in the first half of 2023, with a slow recovery in the second half of the year. Housing Trends to Watch The…
We have been talking about robots on the construction jobsite for years, as they offer a way to minimize tedious and time-consuming tasks on a jobsite. With the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) to power machines of all kinds, we may soon see more robots on jobsites, working side-by-side with workers. In fact, one organization is now recognizing a robot as a builder and inducting it into a builder’s institute. This story comes out of East coast and the LIBI (Long Island Builders Institute), which is an association of building industry professionals and a local chapter of the NAHB (National…
With inflation up and budget cuts happening across all divisions of construction companies, CIOs are tasked with implementing new, innovative technology and demonstrating the positive financial benefits of tech investments. Perhaps the best way to proceed in this case is with a clear vision of the financial impacts of digital transformation. One new survey suggests 94% of organizations are struggling with developing this vision for digital change—at least in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region, although I suspect this is a common occurrence around the world as well. The 2023 Gartner CIO and Technology Executive Survey gathered data…
We are nearing the end of the year, which means a plethora or predictions from analysts’ firms about what is to come in the years ahead. For now, I would like to focus more on what is actually happening right now—specifically in the smart-home market. For years, the question has always been: Who will drive the smart-home market? The vision displayed in science fiction movies always portrayed the ultra-rich as the leaders of high-tech, but the reality is a different group of people just might be leading the charge: young, tech-savvy, first-time owners. At least this is the case for…
It is the most wonderful time of the year. In addition to the splendor of the holiday season, we also get a glimpse into what the future has in store, as many of the analyst firms divvy up predictions for the year ahead and beyond. A recent example comes from IDC, which has provided predictions for the future of digital innovation. While many of the predictions apply to all verticals markets, some will be big markers for construction. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top predictions from the analyst firm—and our thoughts on how this extends to…
Green, sustainable building is all around us—in our homes, in our buildings, and in our infrastructure. Today, homebuilders are demonstrating how technology can help create an energy-efficient and resilient community. Up next, microgrids. Consider the example of KB Home, which announced it has launched an all-electric microgrid community in California, which is powered by both solar and battery. The homebuilder partnered with government, university, utility, tech company, and car manufacturer to test the new homes at KB Home’s Oak Shade and Durango communities. All the homes in these communities will be equipped with smart technologies and a backup battery, plus…
Amid a worker shortage, being able to have workers connect to an engaging business culture could be a top priority in the months ahead—to both attract and retain employees. A new study digs into this topic a bit further, looking at how hybrid knowledge workers connect to corporate culture, which is defined as when employees identify with, care about, and believe in the culture. The study surveyed more than 3,900 hybrid/remote knowledge workers and found only one in four employees reported they are connected to their organization’s culture, according to Gartner. With this information, what can then be done to…
Has the workplace changed in the past year in a post-pandemic era? One new poll says yes, and it is causing the ‘Great Disconnection,’ which is costing corporations trillions of dollars. Let’s look at what has transpired and what needs to happen next. According to findings from a Robert Walters poll, white-collar workers in the United States are facing a ‘Disengagement Crisis’ where nearly half of white-collar workers express their workplace has become unrecognizable in the past 12 months. This includes high staff turnover, less people coming to the office, and a big drop off in team socials. This has…
This is perhaps one of my favorite times of the year because all the analysts put out their predictions for the year ahead. Even if many of the predictions are a bit grandiose, they often do point to trends on the horizon that will be important to watch in the months ahead. Consider the example of Gartner, which publishes its Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2023. Interestingly, many of the trends presented on this year’s list are ones we here at Connected World and Constructech have been talking about for a while. Let’s look at a few of these…
Nearly half of CFOs expect the North American economy to be in a recession by 2023, while 39% expect the economy to hit a period of stagnation and 15% anticipate the economy to grow with moderate inflation. Do you agree? What steps are you taking to get ready? To prepare, some CFOs are reducing or closely managing operating expenses; controlling headcount, limiting hiring, and boosting productivity; conserving or strengthening liquidity; and reprioritizing or deferring capital expenditures. Others are turning to technology. This is according to Deloitte’s 3Q22 CFO Signals report, which dials into what North America’s top finance executives are…