Survey reveals top roofing industry trends for 2023

By Lauren White. 

From top business and retention issues to greatest training and technology needs, see what contractors had to say in the 2023 RCS Trends Report.  

As 2023 comes to a close, we reflect on our successes, areas of improvement and trends! Let’s take a look at what was trending for the roofing industry in 2023.  

Results from the RoofersCoffeeShop® 2023 Trends Report, sponsored by Beacon Building Products, focused on current business issues, recruitment and retention methods, training and technology needs, in addition to gauging contractors’ involvement with associations and vocational schools. 

This Trends Report, which gathered information from March to September 2023, yielded 210 responses from industry professionals spanning 38 states and two countries! Respondents ranged from small to large companies with 87% specializing in reroofs, followed by 68% service and maintenance, and 57% new construction. And this year, for the first time, we saw an even split of responses from business owners and those working for roofing businesses. 

While in 2022, contractors reported significant supply chain issues that some are still experiencing, 2023 saw notable fluctuations in material costs, a prevalent issue reported among respondents. Leads and competition were also particular business challenges for contractors this year. 

Recruitment and retention remain a top issue for the industry. 78% of respondents indicated experiencing a labor shortage in various fields of the industry – contractors, sales, office, field workers, roofing technicians. When identifying greatest training needs, 53% responded with new hire training. 

When asked to identify their greatest technology needs, project management (42%) and estimating (41%) were indicated as being top of mind to contractors. As the prominence of technology in the industry continues to grow, so does the popularity of digital marketing. This remains a challenging aspect of business for many contractors, especially websites, content and marketing plans – all indicated, with near even results, as greatest marketing needs among respondents. 

The findings from the report were the subject of a Coffee Conversations® episode featuring roofing professionals from Florida, Colorado and Indiana who spoke to the issues they are seeing in their respective areas of the country. John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group, Lee Lipniskis of Levello Construction and Beth Kegley of Beacon joined Heidi J. Ellsworth to dive deeper into the trends uncovered in the survey and report. 

RCS continues to be committed to helping improve the industry, which is why we have surveyed contractors in the industry since 2016 and developed five Trends Reports to date that focus on the challenges faced by contractors, their likes and the tools and technology they are using to build their businesses. Heidi shared, “RoofersCoffeeShop is dedicated to the success of the roofing industry and the professionals who make it great. This Trends Survey allows us to know what contractors and the industry are experiencing so we can provide contractors with valuable tools and networking opportunities to overcome these challenges.”  

Download the 2023 Trends Report today!