Landscaping Services NAICS 561730

Jan 17, 2026 - Robotic Mowers Could Help Firms Cope with Labor Shortage

• Commercial landscaping companies are turning to robotic and autonomous mowers to counter severe labor shortages, rising wages, and the retirement of Baby Boomers, according to Turf Magazine. Remote-controlled slope mowers and app-guided autonomous units can handle dangerous or monotonous work, cut steep terrain in half the time of manual crews, and free skilled employees to focus on higher-value design and maintenance tasks. The technology also opens new revenue streams, allowing firms to take on niche projects such as clearing fire prone vegetation, maintaining drainage basins, and managing large parks or sports fields with greater precision and safety. By reducing dependence on hard to find labor and improving efficiency, automation helps landscapers scale operations, pay top talent more competitively, and offer services that differentiate them in a tight market.
• Sales of existing US homes increased by 5.1% in December from November and were up 1.4% year-over-year, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said, "2025 was another tough year for homebuyers, marked by record-high home prices and historically low home sales. However, in the fourth quarter, conditions began improving, with lower mortgage rates and slower home price growth. December home sales, after adjusting for seasonal factors, were the strongest in nearly three years. The gains were broad-based, with all four major regions improving from the prior month." Home sales are a key driver of demand for residential landscaping services.

• Providers of lawn care and landscaping – “Green” services – saw conditions improve in the third quarter of 2025 as warmer-than-usual weather kept crews busy in the fall, according to the recently released Home Service Economic Report by Jobber, a job tracking and customer management software firm. The green sector saw a 4% increase in new work bookings in Q3 compared to the same period in 2024. The median revenue of green firms increased 11% in the second quarter compared to the same period a year earlier, and the average invoice size grew by 6% over the same period. The off-season uptick in new work, along with higher invoices and revenue, suggests that green industry firms are bundling services to meet client needs and are enjoying more repeat business. Landscaping services spending helps drive demand for lawn and garden equipment.
• The National Association of Landscape Professionals states that the landscaping industry is facing severe labor shortages unless the immediate release of 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas authorized by law occurs. More than 2,200 small businesses have urged the Trump administration to act, noting that the program is vital for seasonal employers who cannot find enough qualified US workers. NALP CEO Britt Wood said that confidence in continued support enables landscape companies to invest in growth, purchase necessary equipment, and deliver reliable services. The group emphasized that the visas sustain businesses, protect American jobs, and keep services affordable. For landscaping firms, the program provides resilience against workforce shortages, enabling them to operate at full capacity and maintain quality standards critical to customers nationwide.