FCLC Research Sheds Light on the Installation Workforce

Chicago -- In January 2018, the Floor Covering Leadership Council (FCLC) commissioned an independent research firm to conduct a multi-phase study to quantify the scope and severity of the lack of installation professionals on the flooring industry's sustainability and growth. A Chicago-based research firm, The Blackstone Group Inc., was contracted to conduct the research, whose quantitative components focused on businesses that purchased workers' services by engaging floor covering installers as direct employees and/or subcontractors in 2017. A total of 334 executives, representing floor covering contractors, retailers, workrooms, and installation businesses across 45 of the 50 states, participated.

Part 2 of this 5 part series describes the makeup of today's installation workforce. Specifically, the research participants were: predominantly floor covering contractors and retailers; most of the respondents were CEOs, presidents, owners or held other high-level executive positions; and almost all of the businesses earned revenue from selling floor covering products directly to customers or clients in addition to providing installation services. The businesses' revenues from floor covering product sales and/or installation services ranged from under $25,000 to over $20 million. The median revenue was $2.2 million. The businesses' floor covering revenues were spread across construction sectors, with the single largest share (35%) coming from single-family remodeling and replacement. The revenue mix patterns showed the majority of businesses were more reliant on the residential market vs. the non-residential market and on remodeling/replacement vs. new construction.