Managing the Labor Shortage

It’s frustrating. You’ve got work to do, but not enough qualified help to do it. There’s nothing easy about finding, hiring and retaining a good plumbing crew – training, equipping and supervising good plumbers is an expensive and time-consuming investment with no guaranteed payback.

What Caused the Labor Shortage?

There are many reasons contributing to the shortage, including the increase in plumbers retiring and fewer young people entering the trade. Additionally, as the U.S.’s market for new construction continues to climb, the skilled labor shortage is increasing alongside it. Plumbing contractors in particular feel the effects of a dwindling workforce.

Effects of the Labor Shortage

According to the Q4 2019 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index, the labor shortage has made it more difficult for most firms to:

• Find and retain skilled workers.
• Meet project deadlines.
• Prevent existing workers from being overworked.
• Stay within their budget for labor costs.
• Submit higher bids for projects.

With an aging housing infrastructure, more home improvement and repair expenditures and a growing trend of urbanization, plumbers need creative solutions to compensate for a shortage in skilled workers.

Overcoming the Labor Shortage with Innovative Solutions

Not having enough plumbers to finish jobs is risky, but exposing your jobs to potential lapses in quality is worse. Damaged or stolen tools can be repaired or replaced, but you need to attract and retain the best contractors from day one.

New plumbing methods and technology like SharkBite push-to-connect plumbing solutions help bring new hires up to speed quickly and cost effectively. In a tight labor market, that’s no small thing.

SharkBite products are engineered to make even complex plumbing repairs and installations faster and safer, even for inexperienced workers.

• Installation requires no special tools, torches or chemicals, reducing install errors.
• A single fitting connects different pipe sizes and materials for quicker transitions.
• Field-tested fittings allow pipe to be quickly connected, even on wet lines and in tight spots like crawl spaces or in other undesirable conditions.
• No solder splatter or glue to clean up, giving finished jobs a professional, polished look.

While technology will never be a substitute for expertise, innovative SharkBite systems can let you put new workers to work immediately to jumpstart productivity, shore up profitability, distribute the workload and maximize the productivity of your work force. When you’ve got SharkBite solutions in the pipeline, it’s easy to assign the right workers with the right tools to the right job on the right schedule.