Hiring Good Plumbers in a Tight Labor Market
Published by
Throne of Profit EditorialReviewed by
William Hassell
Founder & Chief Editor, Throne of Profit
Skilled plumbers are scarce, the training path is long, and every company is competing for the same limited pool. Most owners hire reactively — when they're short — and take whoever's available, which in a tight market is often not who they needed. When licensed plumbers are scarce and everyone's hiring, the company that wins talent isn't necessarily the one that pays most — it's the one always recruiting, growing its own apprentices, and known as a place good plumbers want to work.
Because the training path is long, the smartest companies don't just fight over finished plumbers — they grow their own, building the talent everyone else is trying to poach. Combined with a real pipeline and a reputation as a good employer, that's how you staff trucks in a shortage instead of scrambling.
HIRING IN A SHORTAGE
REACTIVE short → hire whoever's available → often wrong
BUILD always recruiting + grow apprentices + good-shop reputation →
staff trucks even in a shortageOwner symptoms
You only recruit when you're short.
You take whoever's available, not who you need.
You depend entirely on hiring finished plumbers you can't find.
Why this happens
Recruiting is treated as a reaction to being short, so it stops when trucks are staffed and restarts in a scramble. In a shortage, good plumbers are employed and choosy, so reactive posting reaches a small, weak pool. The long training path makes finished plumbers especially scarce — yet many companies don't grow their own apprentices, staying dependent on a market that can't supply enough. And underinvesting in being a good employer means even available plumbers choose elsewhere.
Common mistakes
Recruiting only when short, from the smallest pool.
Depending only on hiring finished plumbers in a shortage.
Not growing apprentices, despite the long path making them valuable.
Ignoring reputation as an employer, which is what attracts good plumbers.
Business consequences
Reactive hiring in a shortage leaves plumbing companies chronically short or staffed with poor fits. Being short caps the calls you can run and overloads the techs you have; poor-fit hires cost you in repeat calls and turnover. The scarcity of finished plumbers makes it worse if you're not growing your own. The company that recruits continuously, grows apprentices, and is known as a good employer staffs trucks reliably, isn't hostage to a single resignation, and can take on work competitors can't crew — a real edge in a tight market.
How experienced operators think about it
They treat recruiting as always-on and grow their own, because the long training path means apprentices they develop are the surest supply of the licensed plumbers everyone's fighting over. They build relationships in the trade and with apprenticeship programs before they have openings, hire for fit and trajectory (not just current ticket), and invest in being the company good plumbers want to work for. In a shortage, they know attraction, retention, and home-grown talent beat competing on wage alone for a scarce pool.
Practical actions
Recruit continuously, not just when you're short.
Grow your own — apprentices are your surest supply given the long training path.
Build relationships with the trade and apprenticeship programs before you need people.
Hire for fit and trajectory, not just current qualification.
Be the company plumbers want to work for — the real edge in a shortage.
Questions every owner should ask
Am I recruiting continuously, or only when short?
Am I growing apprentices, or depending only on scarce finished plumbers?
Would a good plumber want to work for me?
Frequently asked questions
Should I focus on hiring licensed plumbers or growing apprentices?
Both, but growing apprentices is underrated given how scarce finished plumbers are. Apprentices you develop become the licensed plumbers the whole market is short on, and they tend to be more loyal and shaped to your standards. Relying only on hiring finished plumbers means competing hard for a pool that can't supply enough. A home-grown pipeline is a durable advantage.
How do I compete for plumbers against bigger companies?
Pay competitively, but compete on more: how the company is run, respect, growth, steady work, good trucks and equipment. Plumbers weigh a lot beyond wage, and a well-run company that develops people and treats them well wins talent a bigger but worse-run operation can't hold. Growing your own also reduces how much you're competing for finished plumbers at all.
Related articles
Running a Profitable Plumbing Company — the pillar.
Training Plumbing Apprentices — growing your own.
Keeping Your Best Plumbers — retention.
I Can't Find Good People — the general hiring problem.
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