A new online platform aims to connect trade laborers with contractors and builders looking for skilled workers. TraLaMa (the Trade Labor Marketplace) is a website and mobile app founded by Jason Goldberg, founder and CEO of America’s Floor Source.
“While we’ve always had a strong stable of subcontract and employee installers at AFS, it has been a lot of work to make sure we have enough reliable, skilled installers when we need them,” Goldberg explained in a statement. “And as I’ve talked with other business owners, it’s obvious that this is a major challenge for almost everyone in and around residential and commercial construction.”
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Businesses and workers can access the platform through the website, tralama.com, or by downloading an iOS or Android app. Workers can use the platform for free. Businesses pay a fee to list job postings based on how long the listing will be visible. A beta version that focused on the flooring industry was launched in the first quarter of 2020. The full version covers 28 trade categories and 36 business types, including builders, retailers, suppliers, remodelers and designers.
Builders have struggled to find skilled labor for some time, but Goldberg noted that “the challenge for the workers is just as daunting.”
He continued, “Even the best trade laborers have unwanted gaps in their schedule. They might be busy this week, but might not have anything lined up for next week or next month. And even more concerning for laborers is when they’ve blocked out days to do a job that suddenly falls through or is delayed at the last minute.”