From shortage to surplus, see how this technology reshapes the labor landscape

By Dani Sheehan. 

What does the labor shortage problem look like in the roofing industry, and how can we improve it? Explore answers to these questions and more in this recent Read, Listen, Watch® webinar! 

There is sometimes a fear that if technology continues to advance, it will threaten the workforce and leave people without jobs. However, technology serves a critical role in increasing efficiency and filling gaps in industries like roofing where labor seems harder and harder to come by. In a recent Read, Listen, Watch® webinar, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with John Van Beek from Labor Central and Paul Aguire from Lumanex to discuss the role of technology in roofing, particularly in how we find labor and how labor finds roofing companies.  

The statistics show that there is a labor shortage across most of the trades within the construction industry, but Paul believes that part of this problem is a connection issue more than anything. Labor Central’s platform helps to bridge that gap between people looking for work in the industry and those looking for workers. It’s free for install crews to register, and from there, contractors can search for crews based on specific criteria such as location, roofing type, how long they’ve been in business, crew size or certifications. Contractors too, can post project details that give crews a full understanding of the work requirements before accepting the job. 

John explains how easy it is for contractors to then search for crews. “You select the criteria that you’re looking for. What area of the country is it, what type of roofing, do you require workman’s comp liability insurance, how many years in business – all the information you are interested in. And then once you click search, a list of install crews that match your criteria appears for you to see their profile and decide who to start the conversation with.” 

Paul has used it successfully in his business and gives three reasons he feels it’s a good solution. He says, “For me, the biggest thing for our company is the work that Labor Central has done in the recruitment. It’s almost like they’re a third-party HR. They’re recruiting all this labor, all the staff, making all the connections. And then they’re vetting them, making sure they have insurance, the appropriate licensing and skillsets. This is HR 101 that I don’t have to do.”  

When he posts jobs, Paul says he easily gets 5-10 responses, and they haven’t looked anywhere else for work sources in the last year. He concludes, “There isn’t a shortage of labor. It’s just a matter of making sure that expectations or connections are done appropriately.” 

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast episode or Watch the webinar to hear the other reasons Paul loves Labor Central and see how technology can improve your labor problem.