There’s no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic affected businesses of all types and sizes. However, as the economy continues to recover in 2021, different categories are rebounding at different rates.
The skilled trades are certainly no stranger to the difficulties amidst a labor shortage. The most experienced trade pros are nearing retirement, and when you combine that with the lack of high school graduates entering the trades, the skills gap continues to grow.
This month marks my seven-year anniversary with BNP Media, and seven years writing about the trades. When I first started, I knew next to nothing about HVAC and plumbing, not to mention I didn’t have any contacts or friends within the industry.
Summer is just around the corner, and things are beginning to look up in the U.S. More than 45% of American adults are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I am lucky enough to talk to contractors, both large and small, all across the U.S. Inevitably, when I ask them about their greatest challenge or greatest future challenge, the answer is always the same: The skilled trades labor shortage.
The end of the pandemic is finally in sight as healthcare workers across the country have been receiving their first and second dose COVID-19 vaccinations.
A few weeks ago, I came across a heartbreaking news story about a 6-year-old boy from Texas who died after contracting a rare amoeba called Naegleria fowleri from the local water supply.