ShareThe HVACR workforce in the United States
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were over 800,000 technician and engineer jobs related to heating and refrigeration in the US in 2021.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 394,100 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers employed in the US in 2021.[1] The expected growth rate for this category of jobs is 5% for the period 2021-2031 (+20,200) which is about as fast as the average for all occupations. Commercial and residential building construction is expected to drive employment growth. Furthermore, the growing number of sophisticated climate-control systems should also increase the demand for qualified heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) technicians.
Although technician and installer jobs constitute the bulk of HVACR jobs in the US, HVACR jobs exist across a range of occupation types, including architecture and engineering, sales, production, office and administrative support, and transportation and material moving, according to a 2015 report by the HVACR Workforce Development Foundation.[2] These roles support key functions at HVACR manufacturers, wholesale distributors, contractors, engineering firms, and other firms across the HVACR supply chain.
For instance, mechanical engineers design power-producing machines, such as electric generators, internal combustion engines, and steam and gas turbines, as well as power-using machines, such as refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 284,900 mechanical engineers employed in the US in 2021.[3] Stationary engineers and boiler operators control and maintain boilers, air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, turbines, generators, pumps, and compressors. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 32,500 stationary engineers and boiler operators employed in the US in 2021.[4] Sheet metal workers fabricate or install products that are made from thin metal sheets, such as the ducts used in heating and air conditioning systems. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 129,100 sheet metal workers employed in the US in 2021.[5]
These four examples of occupations alone represent more than 800,000 jobs related to the heating and cooling sector in the US in 2021. Given that such occupations related to the installation, maintenance and repair of HVAC and refrigeration systems represent more than half of the jobs in the sector [2], this figure gives us a scale of the total number of jobs in the sector.
Sources
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm (visited March 30, 2023).
[2] HVACR Workforce Development Foundation. The HVAR workforce: demand heats up as supply melts away. September 2015 https://iifiir.org/en/fridoc/the-hvacr-workforce-demand-heats-up-as-supply-melts-away-a-146722
[3] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Mechanical Engineers. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm (visited March 30, 2023)
[4] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/stationary-engineers-and-boiler-operators.htm (visited March 30, 2023).
[5] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Sheet Metal Workers. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/sheet-metal-workers.htm (visited April 03, 2023).