Trades Currenthttps://tradescurrent.com/What changed. What it means for your shop. Specialty trade employment kept climbing into June https://tradescurrent.com/stories/specialty-trade-employment-rises-june-2026/ https://tradescurrent.com/stories/specialty-trade-employment-rises-june-2026/ Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:30:00 GMT The latest federal count shows continued hiring, led by nonresidential specialty contractors. Small shops should read it as a tight-labor signal, not proof that every local market is growing. EPA opens its latest HFC allocation data for comment https://tradescurrent.com/stories/epa-hfc-data-comment-window-august-2026/ https://tradescurrent.com/stories/epa-hfc-data-comment-window-august-2026/ Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT The agency is taking comments through August 27. For HVAC operators, the immediate value is visibility into the supply side of the refrigerant transition. An Amana recall gives HVAC shops a customer-records check https://tradescurrent.com/stories/amana-air-conditioner-heat-pump-recall-shop-check/ https://tradescurrent.com/stories/amana-air-conditioner-heat-pump-recall-shop-check/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT About 13,514 window and through-the-wall units are covered. Contractors can help customers identify affected equipment without improvising a repair.