Pool Technician Shortage 2026: Labor Data and Hiring Trends

The pool service industry faces a paradox: while builders struggle with declining backlogs, service and repair firms are aggressively hiring. According to SEC filings and industry surveys, nearly half of all pool companies cite recruiting skilled employees as a top business challenge—even as the service sector reports the strongest hiring activity in years.

The Hiring Challenge

According to the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance's 2024 Business Operations Survey, 47% of industry companies cited "Recruiting and Retaining Skilled Employees" as a top business challenge—making it the third-largest concern across the industry.[1]PHTA Business Operations Survey2024 Report via Pool MagazineArticle

Source: PHTA Business Operations Survey, 2024

Service Sector Leads Hiring

Despite the industry-wide concern about labor, the service sector is actively growing. According to PHTA's quarterly pulse surveys, 54% of service, maintenance, and repair companies reported increasing headcount in 2023. Of those hiring, 67% increased staff by 6% or more.[2]PHTA Q3 2023 Quarterly Pulse ReportVia AQUA MagazineArticle

Source: PHTA Pulse Surveys, 2023

Industry-wide, 86% of all pool and spa companies maintained or increased staff in 2023, demonstrating the sector's overall stability despite economic headwinds.[2]PHTA Q3 2023 Quarterly Pulse ReportVia AQUA MagazineArticle

Turnover Reality: The Leslie's Benchmark

Leslie's, Inc.—the largest national pool care retailer—provides the most detailed public turnover data in the industry. According to their 2024 10-K filing, the company experienced a 32% voluntary turnover rate overall.[3]Leslie's, Inc. 10-KFiscal year ended September 28, 2024SEC Filing

Source: Leslie's, Inc. 10-K, 2024

This means Leslie's must hire approximately 1,232 new employees annually just to maintain current staffing levels (3,850 employees × 32% turnover). Retail positions show the highest churn at 36%, while distribution centers are more stable at 16%.

Wage Benchmarks: BLS Data

While the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't have a specific "Pool Technician" classification, related occupational data provides useful wage benchmarks:[4]BLS Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsMay 2024 National DataBLS Data

Occupation	Employment	Mean Wage
Maintenance & Repair Workers, General	1,531,700	$52,430
First-Line Supervisors, Landscaping	124,130	$59,380
Landscaping & Groundskeeping Workers	943,430	$40,880

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2024

Pool technicians typically fall between the "Landscaping" and "Maintenance & Repair" categories, with experienced techs and those with CPO certification often commanding wages closer to the supervisor tier.

Revenue Per Employee

Pool Corporation's SEC filings reveal the revenue efficiency of pool industry operations. With approximately 6,000 employees generating $5.3 billion in 2024 revenue, the wholesale giant achieves $885,166 in gross revenue per employee.[5]Pool Corporation 10-KFiscal year ended December 31, 2024SEC Filing

For Leslie's, the field service segment represents only 6.5% of the total workforce—approximately 250 in-field technicians out of 3,850 total employees—highlighting the retail-heavy nature of the company's business model.[3]Leslie's, Inc. 10-KFiscal year ended September 28, 2024SEC Filing

The "Winter Strategy" Solution

Industry observers note that more companies are treating winter as a "strategic season" for workforce development. According to Pool and Spa News, companies are increasingly using the off-season for:

• Cross-training — Service techs learning new equipment categories
• Leadership workshops — Developing team leads and supervisors
• Retention programs — Building loyalty before the summer rush
• Certification courses — CPO and manufacturer training

This proactive approach helps avoid the scramble to replace skilled labor during peak season, when every lost technician directly impacts revenue capacity.

What This Means for Pool Service Businesses

The labor data reveals several strategic implications:

1. Service is the growth sector — While construction struggles, 54% of service firms are hiring
2. Retention beats recruiting — At 32%+ turnover, keeping existing techs is more cost-effective than constant hiring
3. Winter is an investment — Off-season training reduces summer turnover disruption
4. Technology can help — Route optimization and scheduling tools help existing staff service more pools

For more industry data, see our analysis of how many pool service companies are in the US or pool industry statistics for 2026.