The Floor Covering Leadership Council authorized the start of a study to analyze the impact of labor shortages within the installation industry and examine potential solutions to the ongoing issue.
Objectives of the study, signed off on this month by FCLC, include finding estimates and projections of how large the gaps are between supply and demand for floor covering installers, finding out what the financial impact of the labor shortage has been, and looking at "key drivers" behind the shortage and how they can be overcome.
The FCLC first announced it would look into commissioning a study of the labor shortage in January.
The study will be conducted by Chicago-based research firm Blackstone Group, and its initial findings are expected to be released late this summer.
The study will be based on both quantitative and qualitative research gathered through phone interviews with industry stakeholders, online surveys and collaborations with other industry organizations experiencing similar labor shortage issues.
The first wave of the research will be funded by FCLC member donations, and additional fundraising will be pursued to cover the latter stages of the project, according to FCLC. Thirteen associations support the FCLC, including the National Wood Flooring Association.
