Solving the Refrigeration Technician Shortage

The refrigeration industry is at a pivotal crossroads, driven by sweeping regulations and corporate climate commitments to phase out HFC refrigerants. At the same time, a critical technician shortage in commercial refrigeration is creating a bottleneck for this transition and disrupting essential operations. Proven solutions are available to combat the technician shortage but require collaborative efforts from all industry stakeholders. 

Bridging the Training Gap 

For years, anecdotal evidence from service contractors suggested a shortage of commercial refrigeration technicians. In 2022, the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) conducted a workforce development assessment to gather concrete evidence and identify strategies to address this industry challenge. The findings, released in a report in 2023, substantiated many existing beliefs and revealed deeper issues to address.  

NASRC identified significant training gaps across all stages of a refrigeration technician career, starting at the trade school level. Contractors expressed that the existing curriculum does not align with industry needs, and faculty reported a lack of support and information from the industry to better prepare students for employment.  

The report concluded that the refrigeration technician workforce is caught in a negative feedback loop. The shortage leads to demanding schedules, which causes technicians to leave the field, worsening labor market supply issues.  

According to a 2021 Copeland publication, roughly 80,000 HVACR technician jobs are currently vacant — that’s 39% of the total workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 40,100 HVACR technician job openings annually between 2021 and 2031. The shortage is further exacerbated by a disproportionate ratio of retiring and new technicians entering the trade. 

The biggest takeaway? The refrigeration technician shortage is a pervasive challenge requiring comprehensive solutions delivered through coordinated, industry-wide collaboration. 

Recruitment, Development, and Education 

In response, NASRC launched the R-TRADE (Refrigeration Technician Recruitment, Advancement, Development and Education) initiative in 2024. This initiative aims to address the refrigeration technician shortage and usher in a new era of skilled and knowledgeable technicians in the industry. 

R-TRADE takes a three-pronged approach to addressing the refrigeration technician shortage: 

1. Increase awareness and support for the career through recruitment; 

2. Increase access to comprehensive training on refrigeration and advanced technologies; and 

3. Increase retention rates of existing technicians by promoting best practices, technologies, and other support mechanisms. 

The R-TRADE initiative provides necessary solutions that benefit every sector of the refrigeration industry. By fostering a skilled technician workforce, this program meets the grocery refrigeration industry’s immediate needs, while equipping technicians to enable a smooth transition from HFCs that will pave the way for a sustainable and resilient sector. 

NASRC’s program starts with pre-recruitment. Our “Train the Trainer” pilot program prepares school faculty to integrate supermarket refrigeration and climate-friendly refrigerants into HVACR coursework. After completing the program, all participants reported significant improvement in their knowledge of CO₂ refrigerants, and nearly all reported significant improvement in their understanding of supermarket refrigeration. 

FREE TRAINING: Since 2023, 1,200 technicians across several states have received free training through NASRC’s Natural Refrigerant Training Summit series. (Courtesy of NASRC)

NASRC staff is actively working with two participating schools to expand their curriculum to include supermarket refrigeration and climate-friendly refrigerants; other participating schools have expressed interest as well. Later this year, NASRC will roll out new R-TRADE programs to improve recruitment, training, and retention. 

Reaching the Summit 

As part of the R-TRADE program, NASRC also hosts the Natural Refrigerant Training Summit series. These free multi-day events feature training on the latest natural refrigerant technologies, straight from industry giants. Partners from all corners of the industry — OEMs, service contractors, unions, and more — have rallied together to support the mission. Organizations have offered their facilities free of charge, and companies have sent their trainers and training units and networked with technicians. 

Since 2023, 1,200 technicians across several states have received free comprehensive training through the program. At each summit event, there is a free HVACR Student Networking mixer, where students can mingle with technicians, HR professionals, and other stakeholders to hear firsthand about the refrigeration technician career. To date, nearly 450 students from more than 40 schools have participated. 

These collective efforts from such a diverse group of organizations — many of which consider each other to be competitors — are a testament to the power of collaboration and the shared goal of building a sustainable technician workforce for future generations. NASRC believes this industry-wide coordination and collaboration is the key to overcoming this widespread challenge and solving the labor shortage once and for all.  

During Spring 2025, NASRC will host three training summit events in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (March 25-27), Irwindale, California (April 22 – 24), and St. Paul, Minnesota (May 20-22). More information is available at nasrc.org/natural-refrigerant-training-summit.