How Tech and Talent Strategies Can Help Find Workers for HVAC, Other Industries

The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) industry is grappling with a dual challenge: surging demand and an accelerating talent gap. For technology leaders supporting infrastructure, buildings, or climate systems, this isn’t just a trade problem—it’s an operational risk. With over 480,000 HVAC jobs currently unfilled and a projected 6% industry growth, firms must lean on digital tools and smarter talent strategies to keep systems running. Contractors that integrate AI dispatch, mobile workflows, and strong employer branding are positioning themselves not just to survive but to thrive amid scarcity.

While tools can’t hire talent, they can multiply the output of a lean workforce. The right software stack, including dispatch optimization, mobile field tools, and real-time customer data, reduces friction in day-to-day operations, giving your best technicians more leverage. Below is a representative excerpt from Jessie Barrack illustrating the urgency and mix of tech and talent levers:

As reported by Jessie Barrack in “Navigating the HVAC Labor Shortage: How Technology and Talent Development Drive Growth” on Contracting Business:

“The HVAC labor shortage isn’t a future problem—it's already here. With over 480,000 skilled trade jobs currently unfilled in the U.S., HVAC businesses are feeling the impact. And with the industry projected to grow 6 % from 2022 to 2032, demand for skilled workers is growing faster than supply.

As a result, contractors are responding by investing in both stronger hiring practices as well as better technology to maximize workforce efficiency.

Did you know, the average HVAC tech is over 55 years old? That aging workforce is a major driver of the 42,500 HVACR job openings projected each year — many due to retirements or career changes.

Furthermore, the HVAC labor shortage is getting worse because younger generations are not entering the trades fast enough to replace retirees. Plus, a rising demand from electrification and energy efficiency retrofits are further widening the gap.

Contractors are facing more complex systems that require advanced technical skills. Most HVAC projects these days aren’t just “fix and replace” jobs. Instead, today’s HVAC jobs involve system optimization, retrofits and integration with smart home technology.

Even though retrofitting buildings is expected to create 1.3 million jobs, the HVAC labor shortage presents a huge challenge for the IEA’s net-zero emissions goal for 2050. In fact, 83% of energy efficiency employers are reporting hiring challenges.

While the future might seem bleak, there are ways contracting businesses can attract top talent to help offset the HVAC labor shortage.” 

Continue reading “Navigating the HVAC Labor Shortage: How Technology and Talent Development Drive Growth” by Jessie Barrack on Contracting Business. Read the full article.

Why It Matters to You

For TechEDGE readers managing infrastructure, facilities, or climate-control assets, the HVAC labor shortage is a dependency issue. If your buildings can’t maintain airflow, thermal control, or energy systems, operations stall. The only scalable hedge is combining smart hiring with technology that amplifies technician capacity and reduces operational friction.

Beyond HVAC, the lessons apply to any skilled-labor domain—trades, maintenance, field operations—where headcount supply is constrained. Whether your field teams manage energy systems, IoT-backed infrastructure, or industrial services, the same formula holds: Integrate AI/automated dispatch, mobile tooling, and compelling talent narratives to stay competitive.

Next Steps

• Operations/Facilities Lead: Pilot AI-driven dispatch optimization in one service region, and measure routing efficiency and technician utilization uplift. 
• Human Resources/Talent Strategy: Launch a branding campaign that markets HVAC careers as tech-powered, aspirational roles to attract younger workers. 
• Technology/Engineering Teams: Deploy mobile field apps with full customer context, such as equipment history, digital forms, image upload, to reduce friction and prevent revisits. 
• Training/Development Leads: Build mentorship and apprenticeship programs in partnership with technical schools and local workforce groups. 
• Strategy/Finance: Quantify revenue loss per unfilled technician (e.g., service calls missed) and model ROI for tool and recruiting investments against hiring delays and revenue leakage.