ENR 2025 Rankings: Contractor Growth Is Surging. Labor Complexity Is Too.

The ENR Top 400 and Top 600 rankings for 2025 confirm a construction industry in acceleration. Contractors are winning larger, more complex programs across mission critical, healthcare, semiconductor, and infrastructure—pushing total Top 400 revenue up and reshuffling the leaderboard. Growth is good. But growth also compounds labor complexity: more crews, more scopes, more jurisdictions, tighter payroll deadlines, and more scrutiny on documentation.

This article unpacks the biggest ranking shifts, the operational pressures behind them, and how leading contractors are using workforce management to protect margins at scale.

ENR 2025: The Big Picture

• Top 400 revenue grew approximately 7.9% to about $600B. 
• Demand hotspots include tenant improvements and fit‑outs, mission critical and hyperscale, new and retrofit healthcare, semiconductor fabs, and federally funded infrastructure. 
• Expansion is multi‑geography and multi‑trade, with self‑perform scopes rising—even for traditionally GC‑heavy portfolios.

What this means in the field:

• Headcount scales faster than back‑office capacity unless processes are standardized.
• Multi‑state work introduces new overtime, prevailing wage, and meal/rest compliance rules.
• Compressed schedules push approvals into the same week to keep payroll and cost reporting current.
• T&M documentation becomes an everyday habit, not an exception.

Big Movers to Watch

• HITT Contracting enters the Top 10 from No. 26, driven by nearly $3B in new revenue and strong performance in fit‑outs, complex development, and critical infrastructure.
  • Operational signal: Larger field crews and complex self‑perform work increase data volume and approval paths, requiring reliable daily inputs and role‑based visibility.
• Holder Construction rises from No. 30 to No. 15, growing revenue from $5.0B to $7.7B in a year.
  • Operational signal: Mission critical projects compress timelines, forcing tighter timekeeping discipline, faster T&M approvals, and consistent field‑to‑office handoffs.
• Turner Construction maintains No. 1 at $20.2B.
  • Operational signal: At enterprise scale, labor intelligence, clean, timely time data connected to payroll and ERP, is a competitive advantage in itself.

Specialty Surge: MEP Leads the Way

• Quanta Services, EMCOR Group, and APi Group maintain top positions on the Top 600 Specialty Contractors. 
• MacDonald‑Miller Facility Solutions appears at No. 16 among mechanical contractors. 
• Charge EPC enters the Top 15 Utility Contractors on West Coast growth. 

Why this matters:

• Specialty contractors juggle multi‑craft coordination and frequent scope changes.
• Field technicians, service divisions, and construction crews require different timekeeping and documentation patterns.
• Inconsistent T&M capture and late approvals are common sources of margin leakage.

The Labor Complexity Curve

As portfolios expand, labor processes either bend or break:

• Crew scale and mix: Mixed self‑perform and sub‑tiers increase data variability and review cycles.
• Compliance intensity: Prevailing wage, union rules, state‑specific overtime, and certified payroll amplify risk.
• Schedule compression: Same‑week approvals become necessary to keep payroll punctual and cost reports current.
• Documentation depth: Accurate classifications, shift differentials, per diems, and T&M with evidence (photos, notes, signatures) are required to avoid disputes.

Without standardization, growth multiplies:

• Timecard errors
• Rework in payroll
• Delays in approvals
• Missed or disputed T&M revenue
• Blurry visibility into labor costs and productivity

How Rhumbix Reduces Risk at Scale

Rhumbix provides a connected workforce platform that standardizes how hours and out‑of‑scope work move from field to office.

Core workflows:

• Mobile Timekeeping
  • Standardize mobile time entry across self‑perform crews and subs
  • Enforce classifications, cost codes, and required fields
  • Capture shift differentials, per diem, and notes at the source
• Real‑time T&M
  • Document out‑of‑scope work with photos, quantities, and signatures
  • Route for approval quickly to reduce leakage and disputes
• Payroll and ERP Readiness
  • Deliver clean, approved hours weekly
  • Export or sync to payroll/ERP with fewer exceptions
• Visibility and Controls
  • Role‑based dashboards for PMs, Superintendents, Payroll, and Finance
  • Job‑level labor cost and trend views to catch issues earlier
• Compliance Guardrails
  • Support for multi‑state rules, union logic, and certified payroll workflows

Common integrations with ENR‑ranked contractors include Procore, CMiC, Viewpoint/Vista, and Sage Intacct.

From Paper Friction to Same‑Week Confidence

A multi‑state GC scaling into mission critical projects expanded self‑perform scopes across electrical and concrete. Paper timecards and ad‑hoc spreadsheets created a weekly scramble:

• Missing classifications and incorrect OT rules caused payroll exceptions
• T&M tickets were filed late or without photo evidence
• Project cost reports lagged by one to two weeks

After standardizing on Rhumbix:

• Time entry compliance increased with required fields and validations
• T&M tickets moved from field to approval in hours, not days
• Payroll cut exception handling and achieved consistent same‑week processing
• PMs saw job‑level labor trends early enough to adjust crews and mitigate overruns

Result: fewer disputes, faster cost visibility, and less manual rework during peak growth.

Buyer’s Checklist: Scaling Workforce Management in 2025

When evaluating workforce tools, look for:

• Field‑first UX for crews and foremen
• Configurable validations for classifications, cost codes, and required notes
• Real‑time T&M capture with evidence and e‑signatures
• Robust payroll and ERP integrations and export templates
• Support for multi‑state overtime, union rules, and certified payroll
• Project‑ and portfolio‑level labor analytics with role‑based access
• Implementation approach that includes change management for foremen and payroll

FAQs

Q: Isn’t Procore enough for time and T&M?

• Many teams still rely on spreadsheets or paper alongside PM tools. Rhumbix focuses on timekeeping and T&M depth, validations, and payroll‑ready exports, reducing exceptions and rework while complementing Procore and your ERP.

Q: How fast can we move from paper to mobile?

• Most contractors pilot within weeks on a subset of crews and expand in phases. Success correlates with clear validations, simple crew workflows, and quick wins in payroll exception reduction.

Q: What about union and certified payroll?

• Standardizing classifications, rates, and required fields at the point of entry improves certified payroll accuracy and reduces correction loops. Rhumbix supports multi‑state and union logic patterns and common reporting needs.

Q: How do we handle subs?

• Start with self‑perform, then extend standardized T&M and time entry requirements to selected subs. Lighter‑weight workflows and validations keep adoption practical.

KPIs to Watch During Expansion

• Timecard error rate week‑over‑week
• Percent of hours approved by payroll cutoff
• T&M capture rate and approval cycle time
• Payroll exceptions per 1,000 hours
• Days from field work to cost visibility for PMs
• Disputed T&M value as a percent of total T&M

Making these visible and improving them directly protects margin.

Key Takeaways

• ENR 2025 reflects rapid growth across GCs and specialty contractors, especially in mission critical, healthcare, semiconductor, and infrastructure. [Add ENR overview link]
• Growth multiplies risk when timekeeping and T&M aren’t standardized across crews, scopes, and states.
• Contractors that scale successfully emphasize field‑first capture, same‑week approvals, and payroll‑ready data flowing into ERP.
• Rhumbix provides the workflows and integrations that keep labor costs visible, compliant, and on schedule during fast growth.

Get a 15‑minute workflow demo for ENR‑ranked contractors