What We’re Doing to Support Pros in the Labor Shortage

3 min read

If you’ve had to hire for a commercial construction project in the past few years, you’ve probably experienced the industry’s labor shortage firsthand. And so have 60% of builders, according to the Spring 2021 HBI Construction Labor Market report. The problem is even worse for them when hiring subcontractors.

This means current skilled workers have to work harder, and professionals on the hiring side experience delays and budget constraints. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commerical Construction Index for Q1 2021, 75% of contractors who report a skilled labor shortage are asking their existing workers to do more work to compensate. The shortage has also led 61% of these contractors to experience challenges in meeting job schedule requirements, and 34% have turned down work because of it.

What can be done to alleviate the burden of the labor shortage? Reliance Worldwide Corporation (RWC) can’t make skilled workers appear overnight, but we’re leveraging our HoldRite brand to make contractors’ lives easier today and help strengthen the industry’s future by promoting careers in the trades. This means we’re continuing to offer plumbing solutions that allow you to complete jobs faster and more reliably, and we’re partnering with organizations to help attract new talent to the industry.

HoldRite’s Time-saving Solutions

All of our products are designed to help you work more efficiently while prioritizing safety, but the solutions below are some of the most popular in our portfolio.

HoldRite’s HydroFlame firestop system is one of the fastest and most cost-effective methods for creating a code-certified barrier against fire, water, smoke and gas. It saves contractors time by eliminating the need to cut sleeves on the job site, thanks to the firestop sleeves’ telescoping capabilities, and helps reduce costly installation errors because of its ease of use. After the concrete pour, the sleeves’ locator whiskers speed up the process of finding the through penetrations too.

Read: How to Improve Time Utilization with Firestop Systems

Compared to traditional methods, HoldRite's TestRite DWV system is safer, drier and up to 5 times faster to install. It eliminates risks inherent with inflatable DWV systems, such as water spillage and burst test balls, which can cause delays on the job site or worse — safety hazards for contractors.

Read: Why Traditional DWV Test Balls Are a Thing of the Past

Designed to increase productivity, our PEX pipe supports are a more efficient solution to makeshift methods, such as wood block supports or other field-devised techniques. Choose from telescoping stout brackets, pop-up in-slab pipe supports and more.

Read: Save Time and Gain Long-term ROI with PEX Supports

Promoting Careers in the Trades

In addition to our time-saving products for current construction pros, we’re actively promoting careers in the trades through campaigns targeting people who are looking to start or switch careers.

The truth is, trade careers aren’t heavily emphasized in most high schools for graduating seniors, especially compared with careers in science, technology, engineering and math. People looking to change careers later in life may also not realize the benefits of building a career in fields like plumbing, electrical and carpentry.

Partnership with the Home Builders Institute

We’re proud to support the Home Builders Institute (HBI), which is an organization that provides career resources and technical education in the building industry. HBI offers pre-apprenticeship training, job placement services, mentoring, certification programs and online learning across the country to youth, veterans, displaced workers and others who want to be a part of America’s trained workforce.

Careers in Plumbing Resource Center

Additionally, we actively promote our Careers in Plumbing Resource Center, which houses tips, information and media on pursuing a career in the trade. This initiative has already reached hundreds of prospective students.