Elon Musk isn't a fan of the business shutdowns caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. He has threatened to move a major manufacturing plant in California in order to get back to work, has reopened Tesla's ($TSLA) Fremont, CA factory in defiance of lockdown orders, and, as we're now seeing in hiring data, is sending Tesla Solar installers and electricians back out into the field to install the company's energy products on homes and businesses.
Hiring of solar installers, electricians, and field service reps have more-than doubled in just a month after a severe drop-off.
In April as the pandemic shut down business — and any thoughts of having solar panels installed — hiring at Tesla for jobs with the terms "Solar", "Electrician", and "Installer" dropped from 259 to just 120.
But in the second half of May, hiring for these positions has skyrocketed, from the aforementioned 120 to 254 in the past week. That's an increase of 112% in less than a month.
The new job listings suggest a clear move by Tesla Solar to get its installation business back up and running quickly. The most in-demand position is for Installers, for which Tesla has listed 37 openings. It's also hiring for 31 Lead Installers, 30 Lead Solar Roofers, and 30 Solar Roofers, along with Electricians, Instructors, and Field Support Leads.
|
Title |
Listings on June 7 |
|---|---|
|
Installer |
37 |
|
Lead Installer |
31 |
|
Lead Solar Roofer |
30 |
|
Solar Roofer |
30 |
|
Licensed Electrician |
26 |
|
Solar Roof Instructor |
21 |
|
Commercial Field Service Electrician |
17 |
|
Commercial Field Service Electrician (Traveling) |
12 |
|
Electrician |
8 |
|
Field Support Lead, Solar Roof |
6 |
Just this week, local news outlets are reporting first-time solar tile roof installs in areas like Massachusetts and Kansas. Meanwhile, the company is attempting to drum up demand for its solar roofs with a "Solar Price Match Guarantee" after Q1 Tesla Solar installs were down 35% year over year.
Meanwhile, recent patent filings suggest that Tesla hopes to expand its solar roof product into international markets. At the same time, Tesla's New York Gigafactory has restarted in anticipation of partner Panasonic's exit.
Perhaps heading out into the field while competitors remain locked down could provide Musk and Co. an opportunity here.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
