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By Clayton Tomasino
CEO
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Businesses with fewer than 10 employees lost 292,000 jobs in 2025, while revenue at small construction businesses declined an estimated 18 percent from April 2025, according to the Joint Economic Committee Democrats’ 2026 report.
At the same time, the U.S. labor force could shrink by 2.7 million workers, or 1.3 percent, between 2030 and 2040 as Baby Boomers retire, according to demographic analysis cited by CBS News.
For small businesses, these figures represent more than an economic trend.
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They point to a growing challenge: how can owners maintain productivity, serve customers, and train new employees when experienced workers are becoming harder to replace and operating margins are already under pressure?
For service-based businesses, the answer cannot simply be to hire more people. Recruitment is only one part of the problem.
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Many skilled trades require practical experience, specialized knowledge, and considerable time before a new employee can work independently. In a small operation, where owners often manage customers, administration, and production simultaneously, training can become another responsibility competing for limited resources.
This is particularly relevant as interest in vocational careers begins to grow. A New York Post report, citing National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data, found that enrollment in two-year vocational programs has increased by approximately 20 percent since 2020.
Renewed interest in electrical work, plumbing, welding, masonry, and HVAC also suggests that more young people may be considering careers outside traditional four-year college pathways.
That creates an opportunity, but attracting people into the trades is only the beginning. Businesses must also find practical ways to help inexperienced workers develop the skills required to contribute.
If the first months of employment involve navigating complicated processes, learning unfamiliar equipment, and repeatedly correcting avoidable mistakes, bringing new people into an industry can remain difficult, even when interest exists.
The Conversation Around Automation
I believe this is where technology deserves greater attention.
The conversation around automation often focuses on replacing human labor. In skilled trades, however, some of the most useful applications of technology have little to do with replacing workers.
They involve simplifying repetitive tasks, making technical instructions easier to access, and reducing the amount of specialized preparation required before someone can begin learning a trade.
Learning a Task, Then Applying It
Consider the difference between learning a task and learning every step that precedes it.
In vehicle window-film installation, for example, an employee traditionally needs to understand measuring, marking, pattern preparation, hand-cutting, and fitment before progressing to the application itself.
Each stage requires practice, and mistakes can result in wasted materials and additional labor.
Digital pattern libraries and compatible cutting equipment can simplify much of that preparation. An operator can identify a vehicle, select the relevant windows, and use an existing digital pattern to guide the cutting process.
This does not eliminate the need to understand the material or develop installation skills. It removes some of the repetitive preparation that can make the initial learning process unnecessarily complicated.
Technology Should Support Training, Not Replace It
My experience in the skilled service industry has shown me that workforce development involves more than recruitment. Small businesses often depend on a handful of experienced employees to maintain quality while passing practical knowledge on to new hires.
When training requires extensive supervision and repetitive preparation, it can become difficult to bring new employees into the workflow without placing additional pressure on the existing team.
The challenge is finding ways to make that transition more manageable while preserving the expertise that skilled work demands.
Technology can help establish that environment, but it should support training rather than replace it.
You Still Need The Human Touch
A digital system may help someone complete a preparation task more consistently, but it cannot automatically teach them how to assess a surface, recognize an application problem, or make a judgment call when something does not go according to plan.
Those abilities still come from instruction, repetition, and experience.
There is also an economic consideration. Small businesses cannot always afford expensive machinery, extensive training programs, or additional personnel dedicated to onboarding.
Technology that requires substantial investment may solve one operational problem while creating another. For adoption to make sense, the cost of the equipment and systems must be proportionate to the value they provide.
This is why accessible tools and adaptable workflows matter. Businesses should be able to introduce technology incrementally, starting with the tasks that consume the most time or generate the most avoidable waste.
The objective should not be to automate everything. It should be to identify where technology can remove unnecessary friction without compromising the quality of the work.
Lowered Barriers
There is a wider opportunity here for people considering entrepreneurship, too. Lower equipment and operational barriers can make it more practical to enter certain service industries without immediately investing in a large facility or workforce.
Some trades can be started on a relatively small scale, allowing individuals to build experience, establish a customer base, and expand as demand develops.
For existing businesses, more efficient workflows can also change how employees are allocated. An owner who no longer needs to personally oversee every preliminary preparation task may be able to focus on quality control, customer relationships, and training.
An experienced installer can concentrate on the aspects of the job that genuinely require their expertise, while a newer employee develops competence through more structured responsibilities.
None of this means technology can solve the labor shortage on its own. Demographic changes, workforce participation, wages, and access to vocational education will continue to shape the future of skilled trades.
Businesses also need to invest in mentorship and create opportunities for employees to develop beyond entry-level responsibilities.
But we should recognize that the labor challenge is partly an operational challenge. If small businesses can make work easier to learn, reduce unnecessary preparation, and create more manageable training pathways, they may be better positioned to bring new people into their industries.
Take Action Now
The future of skilled work should not be framed as a choice between experienced craftsmanship and technological progress. The two must work together.
Technology can simplify repetitive processes and make technical knowledge more accessible, but businesses must continue investing in the human judgment, adaptability, and practical expertise that define a skilled trade.
Small-business owners cannot afford to wait until experienced employees retire or labor shortages become more severe before addressing how knowledge is transferred.
They should start by identifying the tasks that consume unnecessary time, investing in tools that make training more accessible, and creating clear pathways for inexperienced workers to develop their skills.
Industry associations, vocational institutions, and employers also have a responsibility to make skilled careers easier to enter and more sustainable to pursue.
The next generation of skilled workers will not develop through recruitment alone. It will require businesses to rethink how they teach, train, and operate.
Those that take action now will be better positioned to retain institutional knowledge, bring new talent into their industries, and build workforces capable of meeting the demands ahead.
The question is no longer whether technology belongs in the trades, but how quickly businesses can put it to work in a way that strengthens the people behind them.
Clayton Tomasino is CEO of Scorpion Coatings, a family-operated protective coatings and window film company. All views expressed are his own.
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