Since 1889, Carhartt has been defined by the ideals of its founder Hamilton Carhartt, who believed in quality – not just for products, but also quality of life for workers. At a time of fluctuating employment and career changes, this Labor Day, Carhartt is calling attention to the number of job opportunities across the U.S. in skilled trades – an estimated 1.67 million in June alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On Sept. 4, Carhartt unveiled a larger-than-life installation of 1,670 hard hats to represent 1.67 million job openings across construction, manufacturing, mining, logging, transportation, trade and utilities. Built in the shape of the United States, the installation was unveiled at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville – a city hard at work as one of America's construction megacities with three dozen cranes currently up across Nashville skies as of August 2020.
"Our company was built on the philosophy that we should be thankful for labor every day, not just on Labor Day," said Mark Valade, CEO of Carhartt. "We know that to build a better world, we need more men and women in the skilled trades. To ensure the future success of America's workforce, we are highlighting and investing in the incredible work our long-standing partner SkillsUSA performs to provide trade and technical school students across the nation with a blueprint for workplace readiness."
In honor of the hard work people in the skilled trades put in every day, from sunup to sundown, Carhartt is donating all of its online sales on www.Carhartt.com from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT on Labor Day to SkillsUSA to help train the workforce of the future. As an Official Sponsor of SkillsUSA since 2000, Carhartt has proudly supported SkillsUSA's role in helping thousands of hardworking people every year find a rewarding path into the skilled trades – a commitment that will continue well into the future.
"We couldn't be more thankful to have a partner like Carhartt that firmly believes in our mission to build America's next skilled workforce," said Chelle Travis, executive director at SkillsUSA. "The pandemic has shed a new light on the importance of essential workers which includes the men and women in the skilled trades. There are jobs to be had in these fields and we want to make it as accessible as possible for anyone looking for a new career."
Centered around the belief that labor should be celebrated every day, Carhartt also launched its 'Every Day is Labor Day' TV commercial and social video that recognizes those who work from dawn to dusk. The creative spot utilizes the voice of American film director, Peter Berg, who has donated his working fee to SkillsUSA.
To extend gratitude for workers even further, Carhartt has also committed to giving its own hard working, essential employees a day's rest by closing all retail stores and U.S. manufacturing facilities for the third year in a row on Labor Day.
For more information on Carhartt's Labor Day campaign and how to support the donation to SkillsUSA, visit www.Carhartt.com/labor-day.
