Hiring in a labour shortage is one of the biggest challenges for trade business owners right now.
And it’s only getting tougher heading into 2026.
Good tradies have options. Job ads are everywhere. Pay rises alone aren’t resolving the problem.
Many business owners find themselves trapped in a cycle of reactive hiring, hastily making decisions, and compromising standards to maintain job flow.
In Episode 480 of The Site Shed Podcast, Matt Jones sits down with Tom Reardon, the founder of PeopleIN, to unpack what actually works when labour is tight and why culture, not cash, is the real differentiator.
Why Hiring in a Labour Shortage Feels Impossible
When hiring during a labour shortage, most trade businesses face the same issues:
- Good people are hard to find
- Bad hires damage morale and productivity
- Teams burn out covering gaps
- Owners end up back on the tools
According to Tom, one of the biggest mistakes business owners make is focusing only on technical skill, instead of the attitude and cultural fit needed to build a sustainable team.
"One disengaged or negative team member can undo the work of four good people."
Attitude Matters More Than Skill
Skill can be trained. Attitude is much harder to correct.
When hiring in a labour shortage, many tradies feel forced to “take what they can get.” But Tom explains this approach often leads to higher turnover, more mistakes, and long-term profit loss.
Hiring for attitude means looking for people who want to learn and improve, take responsibility for their work, fit your values and standards, and want to be part of something long-term.
This shift alone can dramatically improve retention and team performance.
Culture Is Your Strongest Hiring Advantage
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that culture is no longer a ‘nice to have’.
It’s a competitive advantage.
Strong culture helps you attract better candidates, retain good people longer, reduce hiring costs, and improve productivity on site.
In a labour shortage, A-players look for environments where standards are clear, leadership is strong, and growth is possible.
If your culture is weak or undefined, they’ll move on quickly.
How to Scale Without Losing Your Culture
As trade businesses grow, culture often slips.
What works for three or five staff doesn’t automatically work for twenty.
Tom explains that culture must be designed, not left to chance.
As a trade business owner, you should:
- Define non-negotiables clearly;
- Involve the team in shaping values;
- Promote leaders who live the culture; and
- Address poor behaviour early
Letting bad culture slide (even from a strong revenue earner) sends the wrong message and damages the whole business.
Hiring in a Labour Shortage Requires Long-Term Thinking
The labour shortage isn’t going away anytime soon.
Tom believes trade businesses must plan years ahead, not months.
That means building talent pipelines early, developing apprentices internally, creating clear career paths, and communicating long-term opportunities.
When people can see where they’re heading, they’re far less likely to jump ship for a small pay rise.
What Trade Business Owners Should Do Next
If hiring during a labour shortage is holding your business back, start here:
- Define your culture and non-negotiables
- Stop rushing hiring decisions
- Hire for attitude, train for skill
- Build systems that support growth
- Plan for the next 3–5 years, not the next 3 months
These steps won’t fix hiring overnight.
But, they will put you ahead of the majority of businesses still reacting instead of planning.
📚 Resources from this Episode
Get in touch with Tom Reardon:
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