In 2000, I wrote that the number of existing general contracting enterprises would be reduced by 20% by 2020. Recently, I started to update my research for the years 2003 to 2012. At first, it looked like I was wrong because, leading up to 2008, mergers and acquisitions slowed. However, the recession brought changes.
From 2008 to 2012, the entire construction industry shrank by 19.6%. During the slowdown, larger general contractors held on to more market share than smaller ones. ENR's top 100 contractors declined only 14.5%, and the top 300 dipped only 16.1%. This means the remaining businesses shared less of the market, getting disproportionately smaller while the largest businesses captured more market share.