September 23, 2015
By Renee Tomlinson

We keep hearing that technicians are in demand; that there is a skills gap facing our industry and that employers are having a difficult time filling open technician and HVACR related job openings, but where are all of these facts and figures coming from?

The HVACR Workforce Development Foundation has recently released an Executive Summary and three detailed reports based on information obtained as they commissioned various studies to further explore the HVACR industry workforce shortage and skills gap.

The Foundation’s reports show that the demand for HVACR technicians is greater than originally projected by the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics in 2012; with 220,734 HVACR job openings available for the entire year of 2014, the supply is not keeping up with demand and over 100,000 people will be needed to fill HVACR positions in the next seven (7) years due to industry growth and retirement.¹

The reports also confirm that over 80% of the jobs available in the HVACR Industry do not require a bachelor’s degree and earn an average salary of $49,259 compared to the national average wage of $44,888².  This is great news for students entering into HVACR certificate and associate degree programs as they will continue to be able to complete the necessary training to gain the skills required for a career without acquiring a multitude of debt.

“HVACR programs in the U.S. and Canada are seeking new students, whether you are a recent high school graduate, veteran or second-career adult,” said Kari M. Arfstrom, executive director of the HVACR Foundation. “With HVACR certifications or an associate’s degree, new employees can be assured of a solid middle class job that cannot be off shored, is high tech and offers better than average pay.”

The reports available from the HVACR Workforce Development Foundation are an excellent resource for HVACR instructors and program administrators as they provide more ammunition in recruiting the next generation of HVACR technicians.

For more information on these reports visit www.CareersinHVACR.org or click the links to the individual reports below.

An executive summary of the three reports, The HVACR Workforce: Demand Heats up as Supply Melts Away.

The summary is based on the three commissioned reports:

• The Next Generation of HVACR Installers and Technicians: What instructors are saying and what needs to be done
• Heating up: The Sweltering Demand for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Workers
• A Labour Market of the HVACR Sector in Canada

 

¹ Burning Glass, ‘Heating Up: The Sweltering Demand  for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Workers,” July 2015.  https://www.careersinhvacr.org/Portals/_Appleseed/documents/Demand%20ReportHeating%20Up%20-%20The%20Sweltering%20Demand%20for%20HVACR%20Workers.pdf

 

² US Social Security Administration.

 

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