How to Attract and Retain the Next Generation of Colorado Roofers
Colorado roofing contractors are facing a workforce problem that is not going to fix itself. Approximately 31% of the construction workforce is expected to retire within the next decade, and the pipeline of younger workers entering skilled trades is not keeping pace with that loss. For roofing companies on the Front Range and across the state, this is not an abstract industry trend. It is showing up right now in job postings that sit open, crews that are stretched thin, and hard-earned institutional knowledge walking out the door when a long-tenured employee retires.
The companies that will be in the best position five years from now are making adjustments today, not when the shortage gets worse.
Why the Roofing Labor Shortage in Colorado Is Getting Worse
The roofing workforce shortage is a compounding problem, not a cyclical one. Retirement among experienced tradespeople is accelerating at the same time that Colorado's demand for roofing services continues to grow, driven by population growth, increased weather severity, and an aging housing stock across the Denver metro and surrounding communities.
Fewer young workers are choosing skilled trades coming out of high school. Competing industries with remote work options, four-year degree pipelines, and heavy social media presence have a visibility advantage that roofing has not historically tried to close. As one contractor put it at a recent CRA workforce seminar: "We as an industry need to do better at outreach and perception." That is not an understatement.
The contractors who recognize this as a structural shift, rather than a hiring cycle problem, are the ones investing in solutions before they are desperate.
What Younger Workers Actually Want From a Roofing Job
Recruiting young roofers requires understanding what Millennial and Gen Z workers are actually evaluating when they consider a job. Pay is part of the decision, but it is rarely the deciding factor for workers in their 20s and early 30s choosing between options.
This generation weighs four things heavily when sizing up an employer:
- Visible career advancement, meaning they can see where the job goes, not just what it pays today
- Mentorship and investment in their development from someone inside the company
- Workplace culture that reflects values they share, not just a paycheck attached to a schedule
- Safety and mental health, which they treat as employer signals, not perks
Randy Brothers, a CRA member who addressed this topic directly at a recent membership luncheon, put it plainly: "Culture is built by hiring people that match your values." That is not a recruiting tagline. It is a filtering strategy. Companies that know what they stand for, and make that visible to candidates, attract workers who stay.
How to Recruit Young Roofers Who Actually Show Up
Recruiting younger workers into roofing means actively competing for their attention in places where they are already making career decisions, not waiting for them to find a job posting.
Get Into the Pipeline Early
High schools, vocational programs, and community colleges are underdeveloped recruiting channels for most roofing companies. Getting into those spaces before another industry does is one of the highest-leverage moves a Colorado contractor can make right now.
Fix the Perception Problem
Roofing still carries an outdated reputation among younger workers who have not been shown what a career in the trade actually looks like. The arguments for choosing roofing are compelling. Most companies are just not making them loudly enough:
- Real earning potential that rivals or exceeds four-year degree career tracks
- A clear advancement path from laborer to crew lead to project manager
- The satisfaction of skilled craft work with a visible, tangible result
- Job security in an industry that cannot be outsourced or automated away
Let Your People Do the Talking
Peer-level social proof converts better than job listing copy. A short video from a 26-year-old crew lead explaining what his day looks like and what he has learned in three years reaches a candidate in a way that a standard job description does not. These do not require a production budget. They require honesty.
Show That You Are a Modern Operation
Younger applicants notice whether a company uses drones for inspections, runs project management software, and operates with digital processes. That visible modernization communicates that the company is growing, not stuck, and that there is room to learn skills that carry value beyond a single employer.
Use CRA Training as a Recruiting Tool
CRA's Introduction to Roofing course is a resource worth building into a recruiting strategy. Directing a candidate there before they are fully committed to joining your company lowers the friction of entry and demonstrates that your organization is invested in their development from day one. Learn more about what CRA's training center offers.
What Separates Companies That Keep Good People From Those That Don't
Retaining roofing employees long-term is almost always a culture and structure problem, not a compensation problem. Pay gets people in the door. What keeps them is whether the experience matches what they were told to expect, and whether someone is invested in their growth once they arrive.
Structured onboarding with a named mentor dramatically reduces first-year turnover in trades environments. The difference between a new hire who stays 18 months and one who stays five years often comes down to whether someone was assigned to answer their questions and show them the ropes in the first 90 days. Attendees at a recent CRA workforce seminar identified this directly, with one contractor noting the need to "revamp the onboarding process to make it a better experience and give new hires mentors."
Recognition matters more to this workforce than many operators expect. Randy Brothers addressed it directly: "Have fun with monthly contests and annual incentives." That is not about gimmicks. It is about making performance visible and showing workers that the company notices what they do. Advancement pathways matter for the same reason. A worker who can see a clear path from where they are today to crew lead, estimator, or project manager has a reason to invest in the company. One who cannot see that path does not.
Safety investment is also a retention signal, not just a compliance requirement. Skilled workers who have options choose companies that demonstrate they take jobsite safety seriously. That reputation is built over time and lost quickly.
CRA's education programs exist specifically to help member companies build up their crews, which ties directly into the kind of culture younger workers are looking for when they decide to stay.
How CRA Members Are Getting Ahead of the Shortage
The roofing workforce shortage is an industry-wide problem, and solving it requires contractors to work collectively, not just individually. The CRA has been building that infrastructure for member companies across Colorado.
The CRA's "Shaping the Workforce of Tomorrow" seminar brought together roofing contractors to share data, strategies, and direct experience on the labor gap. The contractors who attended left with a clearer picture of what is driving the shortage and what actions are actually moving the needle for companies of different sizes. The consensus coming out of that room was direct: "Innovation and change are happening every day. Adapt or get left behind."
CRA's member luncheons are where those conversations continue on a regular basis, peer to peer, without consultants or sales pitches. For a contractor trying to figure out what onboarding approach worked for a company similar to theirs, or how a peer is sourcing candidates, that room is the fastest path to an answer.
The Young and Emerging Professionals group within CRA is a direct investment in building the next generation of Colorado roofing leadership. If your company has employees in their 20s and 30s on a trajectory toward ownership or management, getting them connected to that network early is worth the effort. Find out more at coloradoroofing.org/young-professionals.
The full range of member benefits available through CRA is designed around exactly these kinds of business challenges.
The Decision Colorado Roofing Companies Have to Make Now
The companies that will feel this shortage most are the ones treating it as someone else's problem to solve. The retirement wave does not pause, demand for roofing services in Colorado is not declining, and the competition for younger workers is not getting less intense.
The practical path forward requires action on four fronts:
- Tell the roofing story better, in the places younger workers are actually making career decisions
- Build onboarding and mentorship structures that reduce early turnover before it becomes a pattern
- Invest in training that gives workers a reason to grow within your company rather than leave for another one
- Connect with peers who have already figured out pieces of what you are still working through
CRA's training programs and member luncheons are where Colorado roofing companies are having these conversations. See what is available at coloradoroofing.org/member/training-center.