Back to Work
Are we ready for a rebuild renaissance? As America emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, work brands are expecting a bull market in the years ahead—so long as there are enough skilled laborers to do the jobs. By Greg Dutter
New for Spring ’22, Timberland Pro’s work/hiker Switchback collection.
10 footwearplusmagazine.com • july 2021
THE WORK FOOTWEAR market has fared relatively well through the pandemic. As essential gear for first responders as well as a growing legion of people working in the online shopping-fueled warehouse distribution and delivery sectors, sales have been solid over the past year or so. What’s more, retailers selling such product were also deemed essential and stayed open. The main challenges have been having enough inventory to meet demand and, longer term, there being enough skilled workers to meet the growing demand to fill those jobs. One study noted that more than two million manufacturing skilled labor jobs will be vacant by 2028. That’s potentially container ship loads of missed work boot sales. This year alone construction companies need to hire 430,000 more workers than they employed in 2020, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Analysis by Associated Builders and Contractors also revealed that every $1 billion in extra construction spending generates an average of at least 5,700 related jobs. So, if President Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar budget that is heavy on infrastructure projects gets passed by Congress…do the math. Keeping pace with the demand for skilled labor is challening enough, but there’s also the need to fill positions in all forms of employment as the great reopening commences. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, businesses across America are desperate for workers, as evidenced by the Labor Department survey citing 9.3 million job openings in April—the most since it began keeping track in 2000. Job openings increased by 998,000, including 391,000 in leisure and hospitality, 108,000 in trade and transportation and 102,000 in manufacturing. On the bright side, the work footwear market is very healthy, and trying to keep pace with growing demand is a good problem to have. Here, five brand executives discuss how they are meeting demand, what’s new for Spring ’22 and what their crystal balls are revealing about the market’s future.
