AEC Workforce Today: The Numbers, The Reality, and What to Do About It

Recruiting. Retention. Compensation. Benefits. Flexibility. Performance. Career development. Culture. AEC workforce strategy isn’t one challenge — it’s a whole lot of moving targets, and firms are expected to hit them all at once.

Built around findings from Zweig Group’s 2026 Workforce Policies & Practices Report, this research-backed conversation explores what today’s workforce benchmarks reveal about how AEC firms are attracting, rewarding, developing, and retaining talent. Kristi Weierbach and Chris Catton, workforce and talent consultants from Stambaugh Ness and Zweig Group, respectively, will connect the data to what they see in firms every day — looking beyond individual policies to the systems behind them, from recruiting and compensation to career development and advancement.

Consider it a reality check on the AEC workforce landscape: Where firms are investing, where greater structure may be needed, and what today’s benchmarks suggest about building a stronger workforce strategy for what comes next.

You’ll Learn How To:

• Compare common AEC workforce policies and practices against your firm’s current approach.
• Identify where greater structure in career development, compensation, or recruiting could strengthen your firm’s talent strategy.
• Evaluate how well your firm’s career architecture, compensation strategy, and recruiting approach work together to attract, develop, and retain talent.
• Pinpoint areas of your workforce infrastructure where greater investment, structure, or formalization may be needed.