The HVAC Talent Crunch – Why the Industry is Facing a Workforce Shortage and What We Can Do About It

Air conditioning in America is no longer considered a luxury – most every home has some type of equipment to cool the air. Whether it’s new construction or repairs and replacements the demands for talent are plenty. As our older generations leave the workforce and the younger generations look for remote work the talent gap widens. Dealers, distributors, and manufacturers must all work together to bridge the talent gap.

If you fall into one of those three groups, dealer, distributor, or manufacturer, you may be wondering what can we do? The answer lies in collaboration and innovation.

Manufacturers: Innovating for Efficiency and Simplicity

Manufacturers are focused on energy efficiency, but the battle against skilled worker shortages also stays at the forefront. They have overcome one hurdle by making equipment lighter and easier for one person to install, the need for large crews on job sites is reduced.

However, with each year as technology advances so does the complexity of troubleshooting or repairing the equipment. You can now find QR codes or NFC tags on equipment linking your phone to the resources needed to get the job done. A perfect addition to any tech-savvy Gen X with their phone already in their hand.

We also see the benefits of having connected equipment so that all the basic information a service tech would need to troubleshoot an issue can be found online in the cloud by the dealer before a service truck rolls out. Knowing what the issue is can guarantee the right part and right tech are sent to the home.

When ease of installation, resources on your smart phone, and a connected portal full of equipment stats aren’t enough we can now see that manufacturers are opening their own training labs. All efforts are made to make the day-to-day life of our needed talent easier, which makes the dealer’s job easier as well.

Distributors: Training the Next Generation

Distributors are faced with the same talent shortages as our dealers. If we go hunting for a candidate with HVAC experience, we are possibly taking away all viable talent from our own dealers. We need talent who has the knowledge to help and serve the dealers but finding someone with that already is nearly impossible. Today we are looking more at who has the right attitude so then we can invest in training to teach them the skills needed.

Historically HVAC Training has been more On Job Training (OJT) and less classroom engagement. Today, we are taking advantage of manufacturing training, HARDI training, and developing our own training and mentoring programs. These are all necessary changes to build those skills needed to support our dealers. Helping our associates stay up to date with product changes and current customer demands must also be a top priority for distributors.

At Weathertech, we’ve partnered with Dr. Eric Campbell with Accelerated HVAC Learning to create needs specific training for our sales counter. Originally the partnership was born out of him seeing and offering the need to offer a solution to our dealers to have their new techs truck ready in 12 weeks. This allows dealers to also hire for attitude and train for skill without slowing down some of their best techs during that OJT time. It has been a win-win for everyone involved.

Tapping into New Talent Pools and AI

We also can’t forget about the students currently enrolled in college for Industrial Distribution. Connecting with the local instructors to implement intern programs is another path worth pursuing while on the search for top talent.

With Artificial Intelligence entering the HVAC space, we’ve teamed up with DISTRO to bring REP BOT services to our counter sales teams. This democratizes knowledge across the sales counter. Combined with a centralized contact center, we’re enhancing the customer experience while easing the burden on individual teams.

Building Awareness and Culture

Member groups, such as Women in HVACR, help members become ambassadors for the HVACR industry. They provide the resources needed by their members to visit local high schools to introduce the HVACR industry to upcoming graduates. Getting a student interested in trades before graduation is an excellent way to attract new talent to our industry.

While manufacturers are working to make equipment easier to install and troubleshoot, and distributors are providing training and support, a dealer with the right partners can focus on finding the right talent. In this generation, training has become necessary, but partners can help ease the burden. If training is a must and the right resources are available, the dealer must now put more energy into creating a company culture that attracts the right talent.

Preparing for the Future

Succession planning plays a pivotal role in ensuring continuity, protecting customer relationships, and maintaining operational stability. Purposeful succession planning involves identifying and developing internal talent with the potential to fill strategic roles, while also assessing external recruitment needs when appropriate.

This process should include a deep understanding of core business functions such as sales management, vendor relations, logistics, and customer service. Leadership and HR should work hand and hand to create tailored development plans, provide mentoring opportunities, and ensure knowledge transfer from outgoing leaders to future successors. If succession planning is done correctly, you can minimize business disruption but also strengthen the organization’s future growth.

The Future Is Collaborative

Homeowners are trusting technicians with HVAC systems that can cost upwards of $20,000. With rising prices come higher expectations, Leveraging AI, cloud-based diagnostics, and remote troubleshooting allows dealers to do more with fewer people—without compromising service quality.

There’s still so much to love about the HVAC industry to attract talent. It’s up to us to find creative ways to show others what a fulfilling industry we still are. Against every obstacle we can work together across the manufacturing, distributing, and dealer groups to find the solutions to attract more talent. We are essential and resilient but like all challenges we must find a way.