In our last blog, we highlighted two recent studies that found a paradox in the plumbing industry. Plumbing is a massive force in the U.S. economy, contributing upwards of $442 billion every year, providing 1.8 million jobs, and generating $60 billion in tax revenue.

But despite all of that, the plumbing industry is looking at a shortfall of 550,000 employees within the next year. That’s a crisis for an industry vital to the U.S. economy. Of the 544 U.S. industry sectors, plumbing services are critical to 519 of them.

That means, when plumbing is in a crunch, industries like construction, healthcare, manufacturing, aerospace, retail, automotive, hospitality, and more are going to feel that pain, too.

What are the reasons for this shortfall and what can plumbing businesses do about it?

Let’s do a deep dive and find out.

There’s no simple answer. It’s a combination of factors, including:

Retirement. The studies reveal that around 25% of the active plumbing workforce today is over the age of 55. That means master plumbers and your most knowledgeable, experienced pros are retiring at a significant rate — much higher than the rate of new employees entering the workforce pipeline. Not only are you losing warm bodies on your staff, but you’re losing the industry knowledge of your best people.

Gender gap. Do you have any women on your staff? Not many shops do. Women make up less than 2.5% of the plumbing workforce today, and only 13% of current trade apprenticeships. By not reaching out to and recruiting women, you’re cutting off half of the potential hiring pool. Putting a positive spin on that: You have a huge, untapped resource of potential workers.

College vs. trade schools. While more and more young people are currently looking at trade schools, we’ve had decades of high schools pushing college careers.

What you can do

It’s all about recruitment, training, and workforce development. Here are some ideas:

Switch up your recruiting. Focusing on trade schools is essential to get those younger workers into your pipeline. But there are other tactics you can try.

• Actively recruit woman. Look for organizations for women in the trades.
• Highlight that you’re a safe and inclusive workplace
• Put a focus on second-career people. Employees are being downsized in many industries, and military vets are transitioning to civilian life. Both groups, and people who are just fed up with their daily grinds, are looking for the stability the trades can provide.

Build an internal training system. Create a training and mentoring program that can be a pipeline for new people to learn and grow.

Invest in leadership training. The trades consistently have a high turnover rate. Techs leave for a variety of reasons, but poor management is usually the top of the list. Leadership training for your managers is also an investment in your employees.

Focus on retention. One important way to do that is to help your employees learn, grow, and advance. That means ongoing training sessions, like we provide at Goodin, to keep people up on the latest and greatest in the industry. Check our website and newsletter for info about upcoming trainings for your people.

Partner with high schools, trade schools, and community colleges. Speak at career days to let young people know how great a career in the trades is and make sure to emphasize the lack of student debt.

And remember, you’re not in this alone. At Goodin Company, we’re committed to offering the trainings, industry information, and service to help you weather this storm.