Skillit finds better way to recruit HVAC technicians

Skillit, a recruiting platform for skilled tradespeople, found that identifying workers by applicable skills, rather than traditional trade labels, significantly increases the candidate pool for HVAC technicians.

“Many workers have skills that are applicable to HVAC work even though those workers may not explicitly label themselves as HVAC workers”, says Skillit.

By utilizing profile data on its platform, Skillit sources talent from adjacent industries — electricians, sheet metal workers, and auto mechanics — tapping into a larger group of professionals. Per Skillit, this approach doubles the size of the candidate pool nationwide.

Why it matters: With over 100,000 unfilled HVAC technician jobs and ~20,000 technicians leaving the industry every year, it’s important to find innovative ways to recruit qualified workers.

Fraser Patterson, Skillit’s CEO, says: “Employers taking Skillit’s skills-based approach have a larger pool of candidates to consider for any specific role.”

The takeaway: Adjacent industries could be a gold mine for finding qualified HVAC talent. Not just because of the transferable skills, but also for their size — the US has over 1.4 million auto mechanics and electricians combined.