2023 GREEN INDUSTRY OUTLOOK sponsored by


Labor R


Team up


egardless of what part of the green industry re- spondents come from, bringing in and keeping staff was one of the toughest challenges this sea-


son. For another year running, fewer respondents say their region offers enough qualified workers to meet their needs (31%). While hiring is still a struggle, teams are slightly larger this year compared to last. Fewer companies this year report between 1-5 employees (33% compared to 38%) as most of the other ranges grew by about 1%. Breaking out survey responses regarding labor, some


additional trends appear related to whether or not an em- ployer reports being able to find enough workers. For the second year running, employers who report being able to find enough workers tend to have a more racially and gender-diverse workforce, though the split is roughly the


During peak season, how many full-time equivalents are employed by your business?


1-5 employees


6-10 employees 11-25 employees 26-50 employees


51-100 employees 101+ employees


6% 12%


Does your region offer enough qualified workers to meet your company’s needs?


31% Yes


69% No


On average, what does your business pay its crew members?


$11 per hour or less $12-$14 per hour $15-$17 per hour $18-$20 per hour $21-$23 per hour


$24 or more per hour 3% 5% 20% 28% 20% 23%


73% Total percentage of


respondents with racially diverse employees


69% Total percentage of


respondents with gender- diverse employees


16 Irrigation & Lighting Late Fall 2022 irrigationandlighting.org


69% Total percentage of


respondents who employ Spanish-speaking workers


14% 20% 13%


60% Yes


33%


same. Tey more often have a policy or program related to developing a diverse team (68% compared to 56%). An- other fairly reliable marker for whether an employer can find enough employees is whether they have a mentorship or career path plan for staff (45% compared to 37%). Both groups pay roughly the same wages for crew members and encourage additional training and licensing, making it seem more likely that what brings employees in and keeps them around is livable wages, a culture fit and the promise of a path forward. With 80% of respondents bringing in employees under the age of 30, the next reliable crew leader or operations manager could be already on the team just waiting for an experienced boss to show them how to make the most of the job. Make sure they don’t head to another career opportunity that shows them more of a future.


Does your business have a policy or program related to employee diversity?


40% No


Have you established a mentorship or career path program for your employees?


39% Yes


61% No


Have you increased your average pay for crew members in the past year?


82% Yes


18% No


Do you offer monetary bonuses or incentives to crew members?


63% Yes


37% No


88% Total percentage of


respondents supporting additional licensing and training


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