Tacking the skills crisis: Four rental companies reveal their strategies to recruit staff

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Amid the perennial headaches faced by rental companies around the world, difficulties in recruiting staff loom large – especially for jobs requiring specialised technical skills.

For firms whose business model relies on providing a fleet of well-serviced machines for customers, the need to recruit and retain staff including service technicians and mechanics, fleet managers and inspectors is clear.

Yet, like many construction-related industries, rental firms are finding it harder to recruit young people while their baby boomer workforce starts to reach retirement age.

A study by the Institute of Technology Management at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland and Munich-based consulting firm Roland Berger published in 2024, found that in Germany alone, around 253,000 service technicians and mechanics (17% of the total) are aged 56 and above and due to retire in the next ten years.

At the same time, the number of young people, aged 16-25 working as technicians and mechanics in Germany stood at just 203,000 – around a fifth fewer than their soon-to-retire colleagues.

This leaves a gap of at least 50,000 technicians in mechanics and mechatronics likely to emerge over the coming decade, the report found.

“Demographic trends, coupled with changes in work and travel preferences have created a real service workforce crisis,” said report authors Jonathan Rösler, University of St Gallen and Sebastian Feldman, senior partner at Roland Berger. “Companies must act now to ensure the future success of their service businesses. Service organisations must become more proactive in recruiting, reinventing the service technician job and turning it into a desirable choice for young talent.”

So, what strategies are rental companies employing to recruit staff? IRN caught up with four major rental firms to find out.

1. United Rentals

One company that has put in considerable work to diversify its workforce is rental company United Rentals, which takes a multi-faceted approach to the skills gap. A key part of its approach is its efforts to seek out candidates with military experience.

The company, which was ranked as one of the best employers for new grads in early 2024, says military service instils veterans with valuable, transferable skills — such as leadership, teamwork, and discipline.

In 2023, military veterans made up 9.8% of the company’s new hires and comprised 2,203 of its workforce.

At the same time, it is also focused on the recruitment and retention of military spouses and military-connected family members.

Off the back of these efforts, the company was awarded with the 2024 HIRE Vets Medallion Platinum Award and 2025 Military Friendly Employer Gold recognition for its efforts to recruit, employ and retain veterans in the US.

Antwan Houston, region vice president and executive sponsor of the Veterans Employee Resource Group, United Rentals, says, “United Rentals is committed to the effective placement, transition and career development of current and former service members and their spouses.

“We honour and celebrate the military principles and camaraderie veterans bring to our company culture and provide a supportive veteran ecosystem to help them flourish at United Rentals.

“These awards demonstrate our commitment to helping veterans build successful careers at United Rentals and work with our customers to drive safety, productivity and sustainability.”

2. HSS The Hire Service Company

UK-based HSS The Hire Service Company says has recently launched its ‘Aim Hire’ programme aimed at attracting a mixture of people from different backgrounds to the company.

Speaking to IRN at its Heathrow depot, Jon Overman, who took over as CEO of the traditional tool hire division last year, says that the company provides placements to the Ministry of Justice’s Release on Temporary Licence scheme which allows prisoners to leave prison temporarily and prepare for life outside. Over 30 individuals have taken up permanent roles through the initiative.

“On a typical day we have 30-40 working in the business, and almost all of them on release come on and take full-time employment with us,” Overman says.

The company collaborates with charities and organisations to increase employment opportunities for women in prisons. And it’s also part of the Armed Forces Covenant and works with organisations that support military personnel to share our opportunities with them.

“We’re very much about recruiting for attitude and training for skills, so we have a dedicated Learning & Development function offering training, mentorship and personal development to all colleagues,” Karen Clifford, HR director, at HSS The Hire Service Company, says.

“If you focus on getting people with the right sort of attitude, you can then train and support them to make sure they’ve got the skills you need too. We’ve found that, through these proactive and considered routes, we’ve been able to keep building our team with fantastic new colleagues - despite the skills shortage challenges.”

3. Smart Platforms

UK-based aerial platform rental company Smart Platforms has implemented a new hiring strategy to attract young workforce: it encourages employees to bring their grown-up children into the company.

Currently, 9.3% of Smart Platforms’ staff members are second-generation employees. They work in different roles, including marketing manager, senior engineer, CAP engineer, chassis engineer, hire desk manager, finance trainee and IPAF operator.

“It was a natural progression,” Joanne Rogers, managing director of Smart Platforms, tells  IRN, “Andy is one of the owners…and his son, Jordan, joined us. He still works here. He did lots of different things and knows every element of the business.

“Since then, when a vacancy becomes available, we advertise everything internally first. We give people the opportunity for progression; if they know somebody, they can recommend them.”

Rogers says this was how the company started encouraging employees to refer new vacancies to their children and relatives.

She adds that the company will also promote or lay-off employees on the same ‘merit’ basis; fortunately, it has not encountered scenarios of downsizing or closing a depot.

Rogers’ own 19-year-old daughter, Stevie Blake, also working for the company in an accounting apprenticeship program.

“While I was through my A-levels, I was looking for anything to do with accounting”, Blake tells IRN, “I was looking for quite a few, but then this role became available. The company is great because I worked part-time with them before. So, I thought I might as well continue with this company.”

“I think it’s quite easy for people to forget that Jo [Joanne] is my mum, and most people don’t know that she is,” she says.

“At the Birmingham depot, at least two other children of people are already working there. So the transition was just really smooth.”

4. Sunbelt Rentals

Earlier this year Sunbelt Rentals UK & Ireland announced it is to become the first company in the sector to offer a skills-based platform designed to bridge the gap between military and civilian employment.

Through a partnership with online real-time platform Oplign, the initiative is part of Sunbelt Rentals’ ongoing veterans programme, designed to support veterans with the transition into new careers.

With Oplign, Sunbelt Rentals is streamlining the process of matching veterans with career opportunities within their company. Veterans simply input details about their military service, including years of experience, rank, and job title, and the platform will match their experience into relevant roles at Sunbelt Rentals. If they meet the skill requirements, they are automatically guaranteed a screening interview.

By mapping the expertise gained in service to the specific requirements of roles at Sunbelt Rentals, Oplign says it enhances the hiring process, creating an easier and more successful transition for veterans and hiring managers.

Jimmy Scott, social sustainability manager and UK Veterans Programme Lead at Sunbelt Rentals, said, “We are proud to support veterans in finding new job opportunities as they transition into civilian careers.

“Oplign is a fantastic tool that makes it easier for veterans to discover roles where they can really thrive. With over 150 veterans already part of the Sunbelt Rentals team, this partnership will help us to connect with even more veterans looking for their next career move.”