The numbers are in, and they tell a powerful story. We recently hosted a deep-dive webinar to unveil our first round of trades research—analyzing over 11,000 data points tied to seven key trades (construction, welding, carpenters, mechanics, HVAC, plumbing and electricians) to map out the challenges and opportunities facing the skilled workforce.
If you missed the live session, don’t worry! We’ve made the full Research Presentation Deck available for download, and you can view our Trades Research Webinar Recording from February 2026 here.
Why This Research Matters
With a projected $325 billion workforce gap looming over the industry, understanding the data is the first step toward a solution. Our research highlights:
- The 2030 Outlook: Why 25% of key trade roles are at risk of remaining vacant.
- Economic Impact: What the skilled labor shortage means for local and national growth.
- Trade Impact: Insights into which of the seven trades will be hurt the most so we can work diligently to recruit and retain the next generation of professionals.
- Geographic Impact: Every state will be negatively impacted if we don’t fill the gap. Understand which states, and which overall regions, will be hurt the most.
Get Your Copy
We want this data in the hands of the people who can make a difference—employers, educators, and trade advocates.
Click Here to Download the Webinar Presentation
It’s important that we act now to recruit and retain the next generation of professionals.
A massive thank you shoutout to F.W. Webb Company for their incredible support. Without their sponsorship, we would not have been able to do this research project. Thank you for supporting the future of the trades!
We are excited to continue research work for years to come – to better understand the gap by individual trade and geolocation. We know we can work together to raise visibility about the lucrative, viable career opportunities in the trades, and reduce the stigma around going into the trades. Together, we will Bring Back the Trades!
A huge shoutout to the Parker Strategy Group for their incredible tenacity in helping us parse through this massive dataset. This partnership is just getting started, and we are excited to keep sharing these insights with you.
