Flooring’s Best-Kept Secret: Why the next generation isn’t finding our industry – Sept 2026

By Kaye Whitener

Walk into almost any high school career fair today and you’ll find booths representing the military, manufacturing, healthcare, electrical contractors, HVAC companies, welding programs and utility lineworker schools. You’ll see polished marketing materials, hands-on demonstrations, scholarships, apprenticeship opportunities and employers actively recruiting students. What you probably won’t see is the flooring industry.

That’s surprising when you consider what our industry has to offer.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, flooring installers earn wages that are competitive with many other skilled trades, and experienced installers, commercial specialists and installation business owners often earn significantly more than national averages through production pay, specialty work and entrepreneurship. Yet flooring remains one of the least recognized skilled career opportunities in America.

Those numbers tell only part of the story. Flooring isn’t one career—it’s dozens. A student entering our industry might become a carpet installer, hardwood craftsman, luxury vinyl specialist, tile setter, commercial flooring expert, moisture mitigation technician, estimator, project manager, sales professional or eventually own a successful installation business.

Few industries offer this level of diversity. So why aren’t more people choosing flooring?

WE DON’T HAVE A WAGE PROBLEM, WE HAVE AN AWARENESS PROBLEM

For years, the flooring industry has quietly built successful businesses while relying on experienced installers, referrals, family traditions and on-the-job training. Meanwhile, other skilled trades invested heavily in telling their story.

The electrical industry has built highly visible apprenticeship systems. Manufacturing invested in workforce academies. The utility industry created nationally recognized lineworker schools. Organizations such as NCCER, the American Welding Society, NECA, IEC and utility companies have spent decades building career awareness, instructor training, national credentials, scholarships and clear educational pathways.

Students know how to become an electrician. They know how to become a welder. Many know what a lineworker does before they graduate from high school.

Very few know flooring is even an option. That isn’t because flooring isn’t a great career. It’s because we’ve never told the story on a national scale.

TODAY’S WORKFORCE IS ASKING DIFFERENT QUESTIONS

When I visit high schools, technical colleges, community colleges, military transition programs, correctional education programs and workforce organizations, students rarely begin by asking, “How much does it pay?” 

Instead, they ask:

• Is this a career? 

• Will I receive training? 

• Is there room to grow? 

• What benefits are offered? 

• Can I build a future here? 

Those questions matter.

Research from Deloitte, Gallup and SHRM consistently shows that younger workers place significant value on health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, career development and long-term stability—often ranking those factors alongside compensation when evaluating career opportunities.

Today’s workforce isn’t simply looking for work. They’re looking for a future, a career.

THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF FLOORING

For decades, our industry has been built on the success of independent installation professionals. Thousands of flooring businesses have grown because skilled installers built their own companies, served customers well and created opportunities for others.

That entrepreneurial spirit should continue. But it cannot be our only workforce strategy.

Across the country, some flooring companies are beginning to rethink how they recruit and retain talent. Rather than relying exclusively on traditional employment models, they are building performance-based employee teams that combine production pay with the stability of W-2 employment.

These companies are proving that installers can continue earning based on productivity while also receiving benefits that many younger workers expect, including:

• Health insurance 

• Paid time off (PTO) 

• 401(k) retirement plans 

• Paid training 

• Career advancement opportunities 

• Performance bonuses tied to productivity, quality and customer satisfaction 

This isn’t about replacing independent contractors. It’s about expanding the number of successful workforce models available to our industry.

Some people aspire to own their own installation business. Others are looking for the stability of long-term employment with opportunities to advance into leadership. The flooring industry needs both.

LEARNING FROM OTHER TRADES

The industries winning today’s workforce race have one thing in common: They don’t leave workforce development to chance. They invest in it.

Utility companies support lineworker schools. Electrical contractors sponsor apprenticeships. Manufacturers partner with community colleges. Healthcare systems build talent pipelines years before they need new employees. They recognize that recruiting isn’t a cost. It’s an investment.

Flooring has the same opportunity.

BUILDING THE FUTURE TOGETHER

The Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) was created to help build that workforce pipeline. It is the flooring industry’s nonprofit organization dedicated to recruiting, educating and connecting the next generation of flooring professionals with rewarding careers throughout the floorcovering industry.

Today, FCEF partners with high schools, technical colleges, community colleges, employers, military transition programs, community-based organizations, correctional education systems and tribal communities to introduce flooring as a career choice and connect students with meaningful employment opportunities.

But education alone won’t solve the workforce shortage; it will take employers willing to mentor, manufacturers willing to invest, dealers willing to build career pathways and an industry willing to rethink how it attracts tomorrow’s workforce.

The good news? The momentum has already begun. Across the country, innovative employers are demonstrating that flooring careers can combine excellent earning potential with modern workplace expectations. They’re proving that investing in people isn’t just good for employees. It’s good for business.

And that may be the most important installation our industry makes over the next decade—not the floors beneath our feet, but the workforce that will build them.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

The future of the flooring industry starts with all of us. Whether you’re ready to hire new talent, launch a training program in your area, partner with a local school or invest in the next generation of installers, FCEF is ready to help.

Contact the FCEF today at info@fcef.org to learn how we can help build a sustainable pipeline of skilled professionals for your business and community. Partner with FCEF or make a donation today at www.fcef.org. 

Together, we can build the workforce our industry deserves.

THE AUTHOR

Kaye Whitener is executive director of the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF), the flooring industry nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, educating and developing the next generation of flooring professionals. A second-generation flooring professional, Whitener has more than 41 years of industry experience.