Reader Poll Results: Labor Shortage Blues

Last week, PCT asked our readers: How significantly is the labor shortage impacting your business? Almost half (49 percent) responded moderately or greatly, while only 17 responded not at all.

Paul Alley, president of Pestmaster Services of the Hudson Valley, said he’s had a very difficult time finding people either qualified or willing to meet qualifications.

“We are hiring now and training through the wintertime so that when busy season hits in about 60 days they will be ready to go,” Alley said. “It eats payroll. Normally this is a good, profitable time for us, but we are running extremely lean.”

Alley added, “We have dreams of grandeur for 2023, but whether we can meet that is completely dependent on labor availability and product availability.”

Howard Bright, president of Anti-Pesto Bug Killer, Largo, Fla., said in 2022 his company’s recurring revenue base was up 20 percent, but its top line/gross revenue was flat. “Being down two outside salespeople as well as two flex technicians (our flex team does exclusion, termite and attic restoration) definitely affected the growth trajectory we were on.”

It wasn’t all bad news for PCOs. Brian Goldman, CEO of Big Blue Bug Solutions, Providence, R.I., said, “We are actually very fortunate when it comes to the labor shortage,” he said. “Our brand is really well known in our area so we usually have a surplus of candidates and really haven't experienced the labor shortage other companies have experienced.”

Our newest poll question asks: Which best describes your 2023 outlook compared to 2022?