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www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation September 2015 9 INDUSTRY NEWS cent purchase of a home is the most common trigger for upgrad- ing outdoor spaces (33%), followed by finally having the means (32%) and recent outdoor deterioration (29%). Low-maintenance spaces a top priority — Seventy-one percent of homeowners upgrading their outdoor spaces value an easy-to-maintain space most in terms of functionality. Spaces that are easy to entertain in (60%) and easy for the entire family to enjoy (48%) are prioritized next. Popular plants — Nearly all homeowners are updating greenery during their outdoor projects (92%) by planting pe- rennials (66%), shrubs (54%), annuals (51%), trees (44%), and other plants. Nearly one in five homeowners is planting cacti or succulents (19%). Homeowners turning to professionals for outdoor proj- ects — More than half of all homeowners are enlisting the help of professionals to upgrade their gardens. Two in five are hiring a landscape architect (37%) or designer (21%) for their recent, current or planned project. Homeowners spending quality time outdoors — More than half of all homeowners who are upgrading their outdoor spaces spend six or more hours there per week (51%). Relaxing (65%), gardening (48%) and entertaining (47%) are the top three uses of the space. Budgets — Half of all homeowners are budgeting less than $5,000 on their current or upcoming outdoor project (52%) and just under half already spent this amount on recent projects. Sim- ilarly, one in four are budgeting more than $20K, compared to more than a third that actually spent more than $20K on recent projects — implying that budgets and spend don't always align. Stylish outdoor living spaces a must — When it comes to outdoor design aspects, homeowners most value outdoor living (67%), followed by a stylish and beautiful space (60%), and one that reflects who they are (30%). Living walls, synthetic grass, cacti/succulents popular for urbanites — Homeowners in urban areas are more likely to in- stall synthetic lawns (7%) and living walls (7%) than those in ru- ral areas (2 and 3%, respectively). Urbannites are also more likely to plant cacti or succulents (25% vs. 16% for rural homeowners). New purchases create outdoor living spaces — Three in four homeowners are purchasing products to enhance outdoor living, including outdoor furniture (55%), benches (27%) and grills (27%). Lighting a top upgrade — Outdoor lighting is the most common outdoor systems upgrade made by homeowners, whether LED (28%), solar (23%), or another type (17%). Seeking structure — Three in four homeowners are mak- ing changes to one or more structural elements during their out- door project (73%). Patios or terraces are the most common up- dates (43%), followed by arbors/gazebos/pergolas/trellis (28%) and decks (25%). The full report can be downloaded at http://info.houzz.com/rs/ houzz/images/2015HouzzLandscapingStudy.pdf. 60,000 professional positions available this year in the landscape industry The National Association of Landscape Professionals Foundation recently released a national employment survey of landscape in- dustry firms. The data shows approximately 60,000 professional level positions will need to be filled this year with an additional 240,000 labor positions. "Careers in the landscape industry are one of the best kept se- crets, and we want to change that,"said Sabeena Hickman, CAE, CEO of the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). "There are tens of thousands of open positions at all lev- els of landscape industry companies, and most offer good benefits and pay." The Stevenson Company, a nationally recognized market re- search firm, recently surveyed 195 landscape companies and found that executives and management-level positions are the hardest positions to fill. This is particularly true of the small (less than 10 employees) and medium sized (10 to 99 employees) firms. Forty percent of those interviewed expect to hire management positions in the next year. Most executives and management posi- tions are paid a yearly salary, have health insurance and are offered a retirement plan. All levels of compensation increase with com- pany size. Average executive salaries range from $54,000 to $115,000, while manager salaries average $50,000 at companies with more than 10 employees. "When people think of landscape jobs, they mainly think about the hourly labor positions. However, there are hundreds of thou- sands of jobs in the industry in sales, design, project management and executive level positions," said Miles Kuperus, Landscape In- dustry Certified, Foundation president. "Those positions require horticultural or business knowledge and they are a great career choice for students coming out of college landscape programs or those transferring from another career." The research project is part of the Foundation initiative to raise the visibility of landscape industry careers and attract more people into the field. Visit the website to access the Key Findings Report and an infographic. The full report, including landscape industry salary and benefits data by region and company size, can be ac- cessed by NALP members and Foundation donors in the NALP Member Center. For more information about how to support the Foundation's work, contact anna@landscapeprofessionals.org or visit www.land scapeprofessionals.org/foundation.