Tightening Labor Market Underscores Rising Demand for Self-Perform Services

LEXINGTON, Ky., July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gray's self-perform arm, NexGen Contracting, is helping meet this demand through strategic delivery of high-volume concrete, structural steel erection, and mechanical installations. With U.S. construction labor markets tightening, self-perform capabilities are becoming an increasingly critical differentiator for industrial contractors.

Recent labor data highlights the challenge: while construction added 4,000 jobs, total employment remains tight at 8.3 million. The sector's unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% indicating a tightening labor market and intensifying competition for skilled workers.

This strain on labor underscores the growing importance of self-perform capabilities in ensuring project timelines, quality, and safety standards are met. 

"Self-perform brings a level of consistency and responsiveness that customers are demanding more than ever," says Ben Carnell, Vice President, NexGen. "By owning these key scopes, we're able to better manage quality, ensure schedule alignment, and support fast-moving industrial projects in a way that subcontract-only models often can't."

With increasing complexity in projects across sectors like Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Data Centers, Advanced Technology, Distribution, and Commercial, self-perform models offer owners greater control and reduced risk. For Gray, this capability has proven especially valuable on fast-track projects with aggressive schedules and technical precision, such as Fiberon's decking plant in Columbia, TN; and the Costco warehouse in St. Augustine, FL; and many others.

As project needs evolve, Gray continues to invest in the people, tools, and technology required to lead in this space, delivering solutions that don't just meet expectations but set new standards for industrial construction.

About Gray:

Gray is an integrated design-builder, specializing in end-to-end solutions in Construction, Professional Services, Specialty Equipment, and Real Estate. Since 1960, we have grown from a regional contractor to a nationally ranked leader, serving top companies in our core markets. Our comprehensive services—spanning design, engineering, construction, automation, equipment, and real estate—make us a trusted partner for every phase of a project. Whether designing and building a state-of-the-art facility, fabricating custom process equipment, or implementing advanced automation, our expertise drives innovation and value at every step. At Gray, we don't just build projects—we build lasting partnerships.

For more information on Gray, visit gray.com and follow Gray on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Abby Johnson
Vice President, Integrated Marketing
[email protected]

SOURCE Gray Construction