Data and playbooks for trades hiring.
The numbers and methods we use on real searches, published. Every figure is sourced and dated; every playbook comes from work we actually do. No gates, no fluff.
Salary data
Updated October 2026 · 8 min read
HVAC technician salary in Florida: the real 2026 numbers
Published Florida HVAC salaries disagree by $30,000 a year. Here is every major source side by side, why they conflict, and how to read them.
Updated October 2026 · 7 min read
Electrician salary in Florida: what the 2026 data actually shows
The federal median for electricians is $62,350, local aggregators contradict themselves, and the trade is aging out. What that means for pay in Tampa Bay.
Updated October 2026 · 7 min read
Plumber salary in Florida: the 2026 numbers by lane
The federal median for plumbers is $62,970, but Florida plumbing pay splits by lane: service, repipe, rough-in, and drain work price differently.
Hiring playbooks
Updated October 2026 · 9 min read
How to hire an HVAC technician in Tampa: the working playbook
The nine-step process that fills HVAC seats in a market where good techs never apply: lane, band, posting, sourcing, speed, screen, interview, offer, onboarding.
Updated October 2026 · 8 min read
Why your tech job posting gets no applicants (and the fix for each cause)
Eight diagnosable reasons a trades posting sits silent for weeks, each with its specific fix. Most shops have at least three at once.
Updated October 2026 · 8 min read
Your best tech just quit. Here is the 14-day response plan.
The hour-by-hour and day-by-day triage for a sudden tech resignation: the counteroffer decision, protecting the board, and refilling the seat fast.
Choosing a recruiter
Updated October 2026 · 7 min read
Staffing agency vs. recruiter: which one does a trades company actually need?
They solve different problems at very different lifetime costs. The decision framework, the markup math, and when each model genuinely wins.
Updated October 2026 · 7 min read
Tradesmen International alternatives for residential trades shops
Tradesmen and the big trades-labor firms sell commercial jobsite labor. If you run a residential shop, here is who actually sells what you need.
Updated October 2026 · 7 min read
What a trades recruiter costs: every fee model, explained with numbers
Contingency percentages, flat fees, retainers, and temp markups, with real numbers for each, what the fee should include, and the red flags.