A construction estimator job description is enough to make you appreciate the sort of effort required in determining the cost of a construction project these days.

Most construction estimators feel undervalued, especially after the pandemic sent the market into turmoil because of a number of problems — including supply network troubles and shortages of material and staff.

Calculating the impact of staff shortages could have been an easy part of a construction estimator job had it not been compounded by material shortages.

Even if you successfully take these shortages into account, how do you calculate a runaway escalation in the cost of materials in addition to exclusive inflation? 

Many construction estimators deal with all these erratic elements with the help of excel sheets — fast becoming a relic of the past as sophisticated estimating software continues to hit the market.

While a construction estimator's salary remained unchanged in the face of all these challenges, the work volume increased twice as much. 

Construction companies are making construction estimators bid for more contracts as businesses struggle to regain some of the profits they lost during the pandemic. 

Now more hard work is required for a construction estimator job as the bidding went up to 3.2 projects in a week — as opposed to 1.6 projects per week in the past.

Niche SSP, a hiring partner of the construction industry, has interviewed thousands of estimators across the US in an effort to highlight some of the most contentious issues facing the industry.

In its latest survey, Niche SSP asked 1,266 construction estimators if they felt they were being “fairly rewarded” — in the face of numerous challenges in the past couple of years. 

In total 79 percent of the estimators said they felt they were not being fairly rewarded as they faced unprecedented challenges. 

We are being “undervalued”, said 51 percent of the construction estimators when they were asked to anonymously state if they were being rewarded at the job.

A construction estimator job has become tough, and there was certainly room for improvement, said another 28 percent of the estimators. 

The remaining 21 percent of the construction estimators said they felt they were being rewarded in accordance with the new challenges their jobs posed.

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