The devil you know
Needless to say, backyard pools were a hot commodity. Even though winter is not conducive to pool installations in Canada, orders from 2020 snowballed onto those being ordered in 2021. While this represented a strong demand for the industry’s products, it also put strain on builders who were not only dealing with supply chain concerns but also a need for qualified labourers.
To put this in perspective, 2960 more permits were registered between January and February in 2021 than the year prior, representing a 293 per cent increase year-over-year. Similar to 2020, there was a cooling off period with respect to registered permits; however, there was more than enough work for the industry.
Current industry trends
After two gruelling seasons—each one blending into the next—builders first had to deal with a sudden increase in the demand for pools, followed by supply chain challenges. This created a domino effect. In 2020, many builders were booking into the 2021 season. As a result, in 2021, builders were busy getting their projects from the previous year completed while also taking on new clients.
Considering this amount of work will likely keep many builders busy for the foreseeable future, and nearly 27 per cent of all respondents (the survey’s largest demographic) saying they were 60 years of age or more, it stands to reason why business owners (representing 49.7 per cent of respondents) said they would be out of the pool business altogether (33.3 per cent) or retired (12.5 per cent). This trend has been rising since 2020, when 4.5 per cent selected this option, while 8.6 per cent of respondents said they would be retiring within the next five years in 2021.
Although many respondents are planning to retire by 2027, a steady influx of young professionals entering the aquatics industry continues, as 7.7 per cent of respondents have been in the industry for four years or less. Whether one is planning their retirement or just getting their start in the industry, our annual survey reveals the majority of respondents have or intend to make a career in the aquatics industry, as 55.5 per cent said they plan to remain in a similar position five years from now. Although finding and retaining staff in this seasonal business has its challenges and has never been more apparent than in the past two seasons, 50.9 per cent of respondents have been with their current company for more than 15 years, and 64.1 per cent have worked for one or two businesses.
