By: Steven Campeau

 

It’s 2022. Within 6 years, more than 705,000 jobs are expected to open up in the design and construction industry. Currently, thousands of kitchen and bath industry jobs go unfilled each month. NKBA members and other industry professionals acknowledge that the skilled labor shortage continues to be an area of concern. The association’s quarterly Kitchen and Bath Market Index (KBMI) supports this with the skilled labor shortage being a top three issue for members. 

To address this issue and help alleviate this shortfall, it is important to educate students about career opportunities in the trades and kitchen and bath industry as they are the future workforce. Yet many teens and parents aren’t even aware that these lucrative and fulfilling career opportunities exist.

That’s where the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s (NKBA) NextUp program comes into play.  

As the world’s leading trade association for the kitchen and bath industry, NKBA seeks to raise awareness about careers in designing, building and remodeling beautiful and functional kitchens and baths. Through the NextUp initiative, NKBA has reached more than 8,200 students over the last several years as well as exposed 450 additional students to the industry at KBIS in 2019 and 2020. Our latest involvement includes working with the Skilled Labor Fund to help fund programs for workforce development as well as our connection with the Home Builders Institute (HBI) which has various training centers throughout the United States. These partnerships will continue to address the skilled labor shortage in the coming years.

As we all know, the workforce shortage will have a huge impact on our industry and we need as much help as possible spreading the word…

That is how you – our passionate members – can support us. 

Your voices can make a difference and your actions can influence policymakers. If you feel compelled about addressing the skilled labor shortage facing our industry, please check out the below template to contact your legislators. Feel free to update the template to include any pertinent information. Unsure on who your federal representatives are? Click here to find their contact information! 

Contact your Legislator Template 

RE: Skilled Labor Shortage

 

Dear (Representative/Senator) (Last name):

My name is (insert your first and last name) and I am a professional in the design & construction industry who resides in your district.

I am writing to you today to bring your attention to a shortage of skilled labor in an integral part of the U.S. economy – the design & construction industry.  This diverse business community represents around $167 billion in residential kitchen and bath spending in 2021 and is projected to increase to $199 billion in 2022. Our industry is one of the few that has not only weathered the COVID-19 storm, but actually thrived over the past two years. However, our industry, like so many others across the country, is plagued with a shortage of skilled workers. This issue has been, and will continue to be a problem for the American economy, unless action is taken. 

In our industry alone, by 2028 more than 705,000 jobs are expected to open up in the design & construction industry. The skilled labor shortage is a large concern for our industry and we are seeking you and your fellow elected officials to come up with creative solutions to address this pertinent issue. 

To help alleviate this shortfall, it is important to educate students about career opportunities in the trades and kitchen and bath industry.  Yet many teens and their parents aren’t even aware that these lucrative and fulfilling career opportunities exist. This is being addressed by professional associations such as the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), but federal action and funding opportunities are needed to bolster the skilled trades in the United States.  

(Include a personal story. Tell your representative why the issue is important to you and how it affects you, your family member and your community.)

Thank you for taking the time to read my correspondence and I look forward to monitoring how policymakers such as yourself are seeking to combat the skilled labor shortage in the United States. 

 

Sincerely,

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