New research identifies construction skilled labor gap as a major barrier to post-disaster rebuilding
The Home Depot Foundation (NYSE:HD) and Morning Consult released research on Jan 20, 2026, finding skilled labor shortages are a major barrier to post-disaster rebuilding.
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Rhea-AI Summary
The Home Depot Foundation (NYSE:HD) and Morning Consult released research on Jan 20, 2026, finding skilled labor shortages are a major barrier to post-disaster rebuilding.
Key survey findings: ~60% of Americans lack high confidence in community rebuild speed, 40% of the construction workforce is projected to retire by 2031, 36% of adults were disaster-affected in the last five years, and 52% of those rebuilding said recovery took longer than expected. The study found 60% of contractors on disaster projects reported hiring skilled labor challenges.
The Foundation will expand its Path to Pro program nationally in 2026 and continues grants, scholarships and a $1M workforce pilot with Team Rubicon.
Positive
- Path to Pro expanding to all 50 states in 2026
- $3 million committed in 2025 to Southern California wildfire recovery
- More than 70 Path to Pro scholarships awarded in Los Angeles region
- $1 million partnership with Team Rubicon for PACT credential pilot
- Original Path to Pro pledge: $50 million since 2018
Negative
- 40% of construction workforce projected to retire by 2031
- Approximately 60% of disaster-recovery contractors report hiring challenges
- 78% of residents in recently impacted regions noted long-term recovery problems
- 52% of those rebuilding said recovery took longer than expected
Details
News Market Reaction – HD
On Jan 20, the day this news came out, HD closed 1.33% below the previous close.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Jan 20 session.
Key Figures
- Survey participants
- 6,348 U.S. adults
- Online survey conducted Nov 26–Dec 17, 2025
- Low rebuild confidence
- nearly 60%
- Americans lacking high confidence in quick community rebuilding
- Communities hit by disasters
- 36%
- Adults saying their communities were affected in last five years
- Slower-than-expected recovery
- 52%
- Rebuilders who say recovery took longer than expected
- Long-term recovery challenges
- 78%
- Residents in recent disaster regions citing long-term recovery issues
- Workforce retirement risk
- 40%
- Share of current construction workforce set to retire by 2031
- SoCal recovery commitment
- $3 million
- Committed in 2025 to Southern California wildfire recovery
- Path to Pro launch funding
- $50 million
- Commitment in 2018 to train next-generation skilled tradespeople
Historical Context
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24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
With
Key insights from the survey include:
- Roughly one-third of adults (
36% ) say their communities have been affected by a natural disaster in the last five years. - Of those rebuilding after a disaster, more than half (
52% ) believe the recovery process has taken longer than expected. 78% of residents in regions recently impacted by disasters, such asLos Angeles ,Texas ,North Carolina ,Tampa, Florida , Ohio andKentucky , noted challenges with long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts.- The findings are confirmed by the industry: While more than half of professional contractors (Pros) surveyed said there have been challenges with hiring skilled labor, this number increases to
60% for those who've worked on disaster recovery projects.
More about the findings across all communities surveyed can be found here.
"We are seeing a clear trend where disaster-impacted communities are experiencing delays in long-term recovery and the rebuilding process, with the lack of available labor being one of the primary issues," said Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. "Our Path to Pro program will help ensure the workforce is there to meet the demand when a community is rebuilding what they've lost."
To help tackle this nationwide challenge, The Home Depot Foundation is advancing its Path to Pro workforce development initiatives. Examples include:
- In 2026, the Path to Pro Education Grants program, which has been in place to support rebuilding following the
Southern California wildfires, will expand to all 50 states so that construction trade programs nationwide, including those within K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, and nonprofits, can purchase equipment and tools or remodel training spaces for students pursuing careers in the skilled trades. - As part of the
$3 million Southern California wildfire recovery, the Foundation continues to offer Path to Pro Scholarships to students in the region, in partnership with SkillPointe Foundation. These scholarships award$2,500 Los Angeles who are pursuing post-secondary education in construction-related roles. So far, more than 70 scholarships have been awarded in addition to hundreds awarded to students through the Foundation's ongoing national scholarship program. - Through a
$1 million
"As an organization focused on community resilience, before, during and after disasters, Team Rubicon feels the impact of the increasing gap in skilled trades workers," said Danica Deming, vice president of Workforce Development for Team Rubicon. "Investing in skilled trades training alongside partners like The Home Depot Foundation is essential for building both strong communities and storm-resistant housing."
The Home Depot Foundation's Path to Pro program launched in 2018 with a
The online survey of 6,348
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation, a nonprofit supported by The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), works to improve the homes and lives of
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SOURCE The Home Depot Foundation
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