The main factors contributing to the shortage include:

• older roofers aging out of the profession
• younger generations showing less inclination to enter traditionally blue-collar careers
• government policies that have made it more difficult to find and hire immigrant workers

These conditions are not expected to change in the short term – roofing contractors will continue to have trouble finding qualified employees and will therefore need to find alternative solutions to avoid turning down jobs or increasing the time needed to complete them.

This shortage of trained installers is a concern to suppliers of roofing accessories given the labor-intensive nature of most roofing work. In response, roofing accessory manufacturers are working to develop products that can be quickly installed by workers with moderate skill levels. These products include:

• underlays with peel-and-stick self-adhesive backings
• asphaltic- and plastic-backed tapes that can be used as flashing
• roofing compounds that do not require significant preparation (e.g., curing or heating) prior to installation

US demand for roofing accessories is projected to advance 3.6% annually to $6.5 billion in 2023, fueled by increases in roofing activity. According to analyst Matt Zielenski, "As you might expect, the leading driver of roofing accessories demand is roofing activity – as roofs are constructed or repaired, the use of related accessories – such as fasteners, underlayment, and roofing compounds – also increases."