Finding Good HVAC Technicians in a Tight Labor Market
Published by
Throne of Profit EditorialReviewed by
William Hassell
Founder & Chief Editor, Throne of Profit
Skilled HVAC techs are scarce, and the shops that struggle most are the ones that only go looking when they're desperate. A tech quits mid-season, the schedule's on fire, and the owner posts a listing and hires whoever answers — often the wrong person, at the wrong time, under the worst pressure. Finding good HVAC techs isn't something you do when you have an opening; it's something you do continuously, so that when you need someone, you're choosing from a pipeline instead of grabbing from a panic.
The labor market is genuinely tight, but the shops that win the talent aren't necessarily paying the most — they're the ones known as a good place to work, always in conversation with good techs, and ready to move when the right one is available. Recruiting, like marketing, is something you do before you need it.
HIRING IN A PANIC vs. FROM A PIPELINE
PANIC opening → scramble → hire whoever's available → often wrong
PIPELINE always recruiting → known as a good shop →
choose the right tech when they surfaceOwner symptoms
You only recruit when you have an urgent opening.
Hires made under pressure often turn out to be the wrong fit.
You lose or turn down work because you're short on hands.
Why this happens
Recruiting feels like something you do when you have a vacancy, so it stops the moment the seat is filled and restarts in a panic when it empties. Meanwhile good techs are usually employed, not scanning job boards, so the shop that only posts when desperate is fishing in the smallest possible pool at the worst possible time. Without an ongoing reputation and pipeline, the owner is always hiring reactively, from scarcity, under pressure.
Common mistakes
Recruiting only when desperate, from the smallest talent pool.
Hiring the first available body rather than the right fit.
Ignoring reputation as an employer, which is what actually attracts good techs.
Not building relationships with techs before you have an opening.
Business consequences
A shop that hires reactively is chronically short-handed and prone to bad hires. Being short on techs means turning away work, overloading the crew you have, and burning them out — which causes more turnover, deepening the hole. Panic hires who don't fit cost you again in callbacks, retraining, and eventual replacement. The shop that recruits continuously and is known as a good place to work has options: it fills seats with the right people, isn't held hostage by a single resignation, and can take on the work its competitors can't staff.
How experienced operators think about it
They treat recruiting like marketing — an always-on activity, not a reaction to a vacancy. They know good techs are employed and choosy, so they invest in being the shop techs want to work for: fair pay, respect, good equipment, a real path to grow. They stay in relationship with good techs in the area before they have an opening, so when one becomes available, they're first in line. And they'd rather wait for the right person than fill a seat fast with the wrong one, because they know a bad hire costs more than an empty seat.
Practical actions
Recruit continuously, not just when you have an opening.
Build your reputation as an employer — it's what draws good techs.
Stay in relationship with good techs before you need them.
Hire for fit, not just availability, even under schedule pressure.
Ask your best techs for referrals — good people know good people.
Questions every owner should ask
Am I recruiting continuously, or only when I'm desperate?
Would a good tech in my area consider mine a place worth working?
How many of my recent hires were the right fit vs. the first available?
Frequently asked questions
How do I compete for techs if I can't pay the most?
Pay has to be fair and competitive, but it's rarely the only factor. Good techs also weigh respect, good equipment and trucks, steady work, a path to grow, and how the shop is run. Plenty of techs leave higher-paying shops for better-run ones. Be the place people want to work, and you compete for talent on more than money.
Where do I actually find good HVAC techs?
The best source is usually referrals from your existing good techs and your reputation in the local trade community — good people know good people. Trade schools, apprenticeships, and growing your own from helpers also build a pipeline. Reactive job-board posts are the least effective, because the best techs aren't looking there.
Related articles
Running a Profitable HVAC Business — the HVAC pillar.
Training New HVAC Techs Faster — ramping who you hire.
Keeping Your Best HVAC Techs — retention.
I Can't Find Good People — the general hiring problem.
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