A key piece to helping solve the labor shortage puzzle

By Jonny Suchor. 

How the Labor Central App aims to help resolve the roofing industry's skilled labor shortage and keep workers safe. 

For years, the roofing industry has faced a significant labor shortage and continues to work through this issue. In a recent Coffee Conversations, Shining a Light on the Dark Side of the Labor Shortage, Heidi J. Ellsworth, along with Jason Stanley of IB Roof Systems, Trent Cotney, from Adams and Reese and McKay Daniels from NRCA highlight some of the challenges the industry is facing regarding labor such as unsafe working conditions and immigration, and discuss ways to help connect contractors with skilled laborers. 

“We need workers not just in roofing, but across construction and many other sectors,” emphasizes McKay. This labor shortage isn’t isolated to roofing, it affects all trades. And for the people who want to work, because of a lack of regulation to protect workers who are more or less in the shadows of the industry – undocumented, young, subcontractor crews – some are being taken advantage of.  

“You’re seeing the development of a black market and labor primarily because there’s a lack of regulation. Now, as a lawyer that represents contractors, usually I'm against any type of government regulation. This is an area where we could actually benefit from that,” Trent shares. 

As industry professionals continue to advocate for these regulations, there are steps being taken to help prevent labor from being taken advantage of while also protecting contractors and business owners. Solutions like the Labor Central app, are emerging as vital tools to bridge the gap between contractors and qualified labor. This innovative platform aims to alleviate the labor shortage by creating connections between roofing contractors and subcontract labor, allowing for projects to have the skilled workforce they need. 

“These workers aren't replacing jobs for Americans that are here, they are needed because we just simply do not have enough skilled labor,” says Trent. 

The Labor Central app primarily targets two main groups within the roofing industry: contractors and subcontracted labor crews. For roofing contractors, the app offers a solution to the pervasive issue of finding reliable and skilled workers. For subcontracted labor crews, Labor Central provides visibility and access to employment opportunities. The app serves as a platform to connect these two groups to address the current labor shortage. 

“I find it ironic today that roofing contractors say, ‘I can't find enough labor,’ but if you go to the labor crews, they can't find work,” explains Jason. “The whole intent of creating Labor Central was to simply connect, create a database, if you will, to connect roofing contractors with roofing crews. But as you dig into this and unpack this issue, wow, this is huge. It's not a small percentage that are leveraging subcontract labor.”  

Labor Central is not just a tool but a significant step forward in addressing the roofing industry's labor challenges. By connecting contractors with qualified, trained labor, the app not only helps combat the current labor shortage but also plays a role in improving the roofing profession's overall reputation and safety standards.