Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word construction stems from the Latin term constructio, which combines com meaning together and struere meaning to pile up. Old French also contributed the noun form to describe how something is built or the nature of its structure.
Steam-powered machinery emerged in the 19th century followed later by diesel- and electric-powered vehicles such as cranes excavators and bulldozers. Fast-track construction has become increasingly popular throughout the 21st century with some estimates suggesting that 40% of projects now use this method.
By 2022 spending exceeded $11 trillion annually representing approximately 13 percent of global GDP. Global construction output reached an estimated $10.8 trillion in 2017 with forecasts projecting growth to around $14.8 trillion by 2030.
Construction remains one of the most dangerous occupations globally incurring more fatalities than any other sector in both the United States and European Union. About 20% of all private industry fatalities occurred in construction during 2019 totaling 1,061 deaths.
Women remain substantially underrepresented comprising only 10.3% of the US construction workforce despite holding 25.9% of professional service roles. In the US alone construction employed around 11.4 million people in 2020 representing just over 8% of the total workforce.