News Brief Summary

  • Skillit, a construction technology company claiming to have the nation's largest network of vetted skilled tradespeople available for hire, announced partnerships with DPR Construction and Suffolk Technologies on Monday.
  • Previously, Suffolk Technologies and WND Ventures, the venture arms of Suffolk Construction and DPR respectively, had made equity investments in Skillit. The company declined to disclose the investment percentage or amount, but according to Crunchbase data, this investment brings Skillit's total funding to $13.6 million.
  • The construction industry's labor crisis is prompting contractors to seek solutions, and some top tech-driven companies are turning to artificial intelligence to find workers. In addition to Suffolk Technologies and DPR, Skillit's website shows it has also worked with companies such as Brasfield & Gorrie, Mortenson, and Swinerton.

Deep Insights

For contractors, Skillit provides a worker database that users can now search with the help of AI. The platform can quickly display profiles of vetted workers and help companies scale operations with the goal of expanding recruitment.

Skillit CEO Fraser Patterson told Construction Dive via email that Suffolk and DPR have different rollout plans for the company. Boston-based Suffolk first introduced the technology through its self-performing company Liberty, then promoted it internally within Suffolk, while the Skillit platform will add administrative roles such as project managers, estimators, and field supervisors.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara, California-based DPR is rolling out the technology nationwide to support its mission critical business, Patterson said.

Patterson noted that the common problems facing the industry mean there is no need to create bespoke solutions for these two contractors. "Nevertheless, we will work closely with their teams as we would with important customers, allowing them to contribute to and influence the direction of our product roadmap," he said.

In fact, the collaboration between New York City-based Skillit and these two contractors will help the company expand its worker network, optimize workflows, enhance data processing and automation capabilities, and strengthen its executive team, according to the announcement.

"We believe the future of construction recruiting will be more connected, more responsive, and grounded in the realities of the jobsite," said Eric Lamb, a DPR board member, in a press release. "Skillit's platform reflects this direction through its AI-driven infrastructure, helping our teams connect with skilled trades talent more quickly and effectively."

With the data center construction boom, competition for matching skilled tradespeople with jobs is intensifying, and strategies for filling job openings are becoming increasingly innovative. For example, Where Trades Go, a profile-based platform with approximately 3,500 users, draws on concepts from dating apps.

For its part, Skillit focuses on the segment of the workforce that doesn't sit behind a desk.

"The construction industry's labor challenges require new infrastructure and smarter systems," said Jit Kee Chin, chief technology officer of Suffolk Construction and managing partner of Suffolk Technologies, in a press release. "Skillit is filling a critical gap in the industry with technology designed for the realities of construction recruiting and workforce deployment."