How the Great Resignation Impacted the Roofing Industry

By Meta Team. 

Learn how the global issue of labor shortages is directly affecting the roofing industry. 

Last April, over three million Americans resigned from their current jobs, kicking off what we now call ‘The Great Resignation.’ Since then, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics has reported that there were 11 million job openings as of last October. With increased labor shortages still plaguing the roofing industry, how exactly has it affected us? 

The shortage of employees is a global problem that has impacted all aspects of the supply chain from mining raw materials to the last mile of delivery of goods. “The labor shortage we are all dealing with, has made it increasingly harder to find labor and this has especially affected manufacturing facilities and the ability to secure and obtain raw materials,” says Bill Bellico, vice president of marketing and inside sales at Sika. 

According to a recent study released by Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry alone needs 650,000 new workers to meet demands in 2022. Compared to other industries within construction, roofing is disproportionally impacted by supply chain strains as a roofing system is more than just the top layer of waterproofing material.  

A roof system may include a vapor barrier, insulation, adhesives, fasteners, fastening plates, gypsum board, etc. This exposes the industry to every weakness in the supply chain from tariffs on steel, to lack of MDI to make insulation, to the storms that have impacted both the petrochemical and oil and gas industry, and each component is in turn, dependent on transportation issues which is also impacted by labor shortages. 

So when will the great resignation end? While it is difficult to predict the future, many experts agree that 2022 will be the beginning of stabilization for employers. In a recent interview between Employee Benefit News’ Deanna Cuadra and Omer Glass, the co-founder and CEO of GrowthSpace, Glass stated, “A lot of companies are making great efforts in order to cope with the great resignation. This, connected with the fact that humans tend to be risk-averse, means more stability is going to enter the market and people will settle down.” 

To learn more about labor shortages in the roofing industry, visit Meta Team’s website. 

Original article source: Meta Team