37%About 4 in 10of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%)
37% of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%) (May-Jun 2026, ServiceTitan, ServiceTitan trades research (State of AI in the Trades, residential and commercial reports))
Margin of error: plus or minus 3.7 points (total sample)
Vendor dataChecked at source, 23 Oct 2026All sizesUSAHome services marketing · Skilled trades
37% of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%) (May-Jun 2026).
37%
the latest figure (May-Jun 2026)
Vendor data
type of source
Why you can trust it. ServiceTitan, ServiceTitan trades research (State of AI in the Trades, residential and commercial reports): vendor data, a company measuring its own customers or panel. 1,017 verified US residential and commercial trades contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing and more), fielded 26 May to 15 Jun 2026; margin of error plus or minus 3.7 points
ServiceTitan, ServiceTitan trades research (State of AI in the Trades, residential and commercial reports)
Source type
Vendor data: A company measuring its own customers or panel
What it measures
37% of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%)
Data period
May-Jun 2026 (ends 15 Jun 2026)
Published by the source
29 Sep 2026
Who is counted
1,017 verified US residential and commercial trades contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing and more), fielded 26 May to 15 Jun 2026; margin of error plus or minus 3.7 points
Margin of error
plus or minus 3.7 points (total sample)
In the source's words
Difficulty hiring and the workforce gap is the top reason contractors cite for experimenting with AI (37%)
Checked at source
23 Oct 2026: Read on servicetitan.com press release of 29 Sep 2026 ('The Update: 2026 State of AI in the Trades'). Vendor survey run by Thrive Analytics for ServiceTitan.
Reuse
Copyright ServiceTitan; short quotes with attribution. Surveys run by Thrive Analytics for ServiceTitan, a field-service software vendor that sells AI tools.
Next expected update
Several reports a year (ServiceTitan, several reports a year)
23 Oct 2026CorrectionWording corrected to match the source: 37% cite hiring difficulty as a reason; it is the most common reason, not their top reason
Cite this number
APA
ServiceTitan. (2026). 37% of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%). Via digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/home-services-marketing/hiring-difficulty-top-ai-reason
MLA
"37% of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%)." ServiceTitan, ServiceTitan trades research (State of AI in the Trades, residential and commercial reports), May-Jun 2026. digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/home-services-marketing/hiring-difficulty-top-ai-reason.
HTML link
<a href="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/home-services-marketing/hiring-difficulty-top-ai-reason">37% of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%)</a> (ServiceTitan, May-Jun 2026)
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FAQ
Questions about this number
What is the latest figure for skilled trades (USA)?
37% of US trades contractors cite difficulty hiring as a reason for trying AI, the most common reason given (ahead of off-hours support at 34%), for May-Jun 2026, according to ServiceTitan, ServiceTitan trades research (State of AI in the Trades, residential and commercial reports). We checked it at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
Related
More Home services marketing statistics
Official dataAll sizesUSA
11%
projected growth in US HVAC technician jobs from 2025 to 2035, almost four times the 3% for all occupations
Sample: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 edition (last modified 27 Aug 2026)
