2022 Was a Whopper, Here’s What Was Trending in Roofing

By Lauren White. 

While there were some highs and lows this year, from material availability to labor recruitment and retention, the 2022 RCS Trends Report shares the greatest needs and challenges contractors are facing. 

2022 was a year of shortages, surprises and frustration at times, but it challenged us to pivot, be creative, utilize our resources, and ultimately made us a stronger industry. As we compiled the results from the RoofersCoffeeShop® 2022 Trends Report, sponsored by Beacon Building Products, the focus was on the ongoing labor shortage, materials that were difficult to obtain, top business issues contractors are facing, and their greatest needs and challenges. 

The 2022 Trends Report, which gathered information from February to August 2022, yielded responses from 256 industry professionals from 42 different states. Respondents ranged from small to large companies with 78% specializing in reroofs, followed by 64% service and maintenance, and 50% new construction. This year, there was a significant shift in the number of responses from roofing business owners (56%). Typically, those who work for roofing business are the majority of respondents. 

This year brought prevalent supply chain issues, which unsurprisingly, made many materials essential to the industry difficult to obtain. Single ply and fasteners, nails and screws were indicated as the most challenging products to locate. 

Another top issue for contractors remains recruitment and retention. While the labor shortage continues to be a pain point in the industry, this year we wanted to dive deeper and understand WHERE there is a labor shortage. 52% identified a shortage of field workers. When asked about contractors’ greatest training needs, 58% responded with new hire training. 

When asked about their greatest technology needs, many respondents indicated that estimating and project management software were top of mind. As digital marketing continues to grow in popularity, many contractors are indicating this as an area they are challenged – responses were nearly even in terms of their needs for digital advertising, website, content, marketing plans and traditional marketing. 

“With RoofersCoffeeShop’s commitment to the roofing industry and the professionals who make it great, we want to know what contractors and the industry are experiencing as they continue to roof and protect buildings and people across the nation,” stated Heidi J. Ellsworth, RCS president. For this reason, since 2016, RCS has surveyed contractors in the industry and developed three Trends Reports to date that focus on the challenges faced by contractors, their likes and the tools they are using to build their businesses. 

Download the 2022 Trends Report today! 

About Lauren

Lauren is the editor for RoofersCoffeeShop, MetalCoffeeShop™ and AskARoofer™. When she’s not writing or Googling roofing terminology, she's adventuring with her puppy Kira and trying new recipes. Learn more about her here.