DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand and a leader in total jobsite solutions, has officially published results from its latest survey. According to certain reports, the stated survey found nearly 78% of tradespeople agreeing that the initial buy-in cost of tools, which can range from several thousands to upwards of $10,000, was a major barrier to get started in their career. To understand the significance of such a discovery, though, we must start by acknowledging how the construction industry is, at present, dealing with a severe labor shortage crisis, a crisis where the industry is understood to be left with more than 500,000 open construction jobs. In light of that, DEWALT Tool Talk Survey would go on to reveal how having the right tools for the job impacts those beginning a career in the trades. More on the given survey will reveal that nearly 3 in 5 tradespeople (57%) cite the need to replace their toolset with more heavy-duty tools or not having the tools they need as the biggest roadblocks. Joining them is 93% of surveyed tradespeople who deem investing in durable, high-performance tools to be worth paying a higher cost. The investment in question becomes all the more attractive once you consider that, for nearly 3 in 4 tradespeople (72%), it took two years or less to see a return on the money spent on their initial investment in tools. Furthermore, as their careers progress, more than 3 in 4 tradespeople (78%) are refreshing or replacing their tools at least once a year. In fact, an estimated 65% of them are expecting their annual investment in tools, batteries and accessories to be $10,000 or more. Another 41% expects the same investment value to be $25,000 or more.
Moving on, more than 4 in 5 tradespeople (86%) claimed during the survey that it would have been extremely significant to receive a gift of core tools for their trade upon the start of their career. Beyond them, 88% of them even went on to say that easier access to necessary tools would attract more workers to the construction industry.
“Our findings tell us that two in three tradespeople in Houston (66%) did not own all the tools needed for their job upon starting their career, and of those, half (52%) say they saved up or took out a loan to purchase tools,” said Jeff Doehne, President, U.S. Retail, Stanley Black & Decker. “As part of DEWALT’s commitment to grow the trades, we are making every effort to empower those starting out by supplying the tools young professionals need to be successful from day one.”
The whole thin delivers a rather interesting follow-up to DEWALT’s recent partnership with Home Builders Institute, the nation’s leading nonprofit provider of trade skills training and education for the building industry. Formalized back in March 2024, the purpose of this partnership is basically to become HBI’s BuildStrong Academy Tool Trade Sponsor. In case you weren’t aware, HBI’s BuildStrong Academy in Houston is a tuition-free, industry-driven academy that provides hands-on training and education for anyone interested in pursuing a career in construction. Apart from hands on training, the organization strives to conceive professional development, mentoring, and ongoing support, equipping students with the necessary skills and certifications to meet the demand for skilled workers. The survey in question also comes as a part of DEWALT’s Grow the Trades initiative, which is essentially a $30 million commitment stretching over five years to close the skilled trades gap in the U.S. Over the course of this initiative, the construction giant will provide tool kits to 100 students of HBI’s BuildStrong Academy in Houston, with the company set to be onsite to hand deliver kits to the latest graduating class
Coming back to the DEWALT’s survey, the. company had commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 903 tradespeople1 throughout the United States. The considered sample is understood to include tradespeople from three markets, Orlando, FL (n=300), Houston, TX (n=301) and Phoenix, AZ (n=302).
