You know that feeling when you walk onto a job site and the vibe is just… off?
The foreman isn’t cracking his usual bad jokes. The dispatch radio is quieter than normal. And everyone is checking their phones a little too often. If you work in the utility locating game—or really, any field service job—you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s that heavy, gut-level sense that bad news is coming down the pipeline.
Recently, the chatter in the break rooms and the private Facebook groups has been getting louder regarding N&S Locating Services layoffs.
It’s scary. I get it. I’ve been there—sitting in a truck, staring at a ticket on a laptop, wondering if this is the last week I’ll have a gas card. Layoffs in the locating industry aren’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet; they’re about guys and girls who spend 10 hours a day painting the ground orange, yellow, and blue, protecting infrastructure that keeps the lights on.
Let’s talk about what’s happening, why the industry feels so shaky right now, and what you actually do when the pink slip hits (or if you’re just worried it might).
The “Boom and Bust” of the Blue Paint
To understand why a company like N&S might be trimming the fat, you have to look at the weird economics of utility locating.
On paper, it seems recession-proof, right? People always need water. They always need gas. They definitely need fiber internet to stream Netflix. So, 811 tickets should be flying in non-stop.
But here is the catch.
Locating is often tied to new construction. When interest rates go up (like they have been), developers stop building new subdivisions. When cities tighten their budgets, they delay that massive sewer replacement project. Suddenly, the ticket volume drops.
I remember talking to a buddy of mine, Mike, who worked for a major locating firm back in 2009. He told me, “One day we had so much overtime I couldn’t see straight. The next month, they were firing anyone who had been there less than a year.”
It’s a volume game. Margins in the locating business are razor-thin. Companies bid on contracts with massive utility providers (like the electric company or the gas company) at a fixed price per ticket. If the ticket volume drops, or—and this is the big one—if the cost of gas and insurance goes up, the math stops mathing.
When the math stops working, the N&S Locating Services layoffs (and layoffs at similar companies) start happening.
Is It Just N&S, or Is It Everyone?
It’s easy to feel like it’s just your company. You think, “Man, management messed up. They grew too fast.”
And yeah, sometimes that’s true. N&S has expanded aggressively in the past. When you grow fast, you hire fast. But when the market corrects, you have to downsize just as quickly.
However, if you look around, the whole industry is sweating.
Take a look at the big players. USIC, Stake Center, smaller regional outfits—they are all dealing with the same pressures.
- Labor shortages vs. Labor costs: It’s hard to find people willing to walk 5 miles a day in the rain for $18 an hour. So wages go up.
- Damages: One bad hit—one gas main strike—can cost a locating company millions in liability and lost contracts.
- Technology: There’s a quiet push to automate some of this. Better maps, better GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar). It’s not replacing humans yet, but it’s making companies rethink how many humans they really need.
So, while the spotlight right now is on the N&S Locating Services layoffs, it’s really a symptom of a larger flu that the whole infrastructure sector has caught.
The Human Side of the “Cut”
Let’s be real for a second. We aren’t talking about corporate bots here. We are talking about people.
I saw a post on Reddit the other day from a guy who said he was let go via a mass email. He had his company truck in his driveway. He didn’t know if he was supposed to drive it back to the yard or if they were coming to get it. That uncertainty is the worst part.
When layoffs happen in this field, it’s chaotic.
You have your equipment—your receiver, your transmitter, your paint, your flags. You have a route. Suddenly, that route is gone. For the guys left behind, the work doesn’t disappear. It just gets piled onto their plate.
If 10 people get laid off in a district, the remaining 20 techs have to absorb those tickets. This leads to burnout, which leads to rushed work, which leads to damages. It’s a nasty cycle.
What To Do If You’re Worried
Okay, enough doom and gloom. If you are reading this because you are scared about your job at N&S or any other locator, you need a game plan.
1. Don’t ghost your network.
You know those guys you worked with three years ago who moved on to the city water department or a private engineering firm? Text them. Today. “Hey man, hope you’re good. Just checking in.” You don’t have to beg for a job yet. just warm up the connection.
2. Pivot to “Private” Locating.
There is a huge difference between “public” 811 contract locating and private locating. Public is high volume, low pay, high stress. Private locating is when a homeowner hires you to find the line to their pool house, or a construction company hires you to scan concrete. It pays better. It’s slower. If you have the skills, look for private locating gigs.
3. Look at the Unions.
Depending on where you live, utility work might be unionized. The IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) often represents utility workers. It’s worth checking if there are union halls in your area hiring for similar roles.
The “Silver Lining” (If There Is One)
I know, “silver lining” sounds cliché when people are losing paychecks. But here is the thing about locators: You have a skill set that translates.
You can read blueprints. You can work independently without a boss breathing down your neck. You understand underground infrastructure.
Those skills apply to:
- Surveying assistant jobs.
- Construction management.
- Municipal water/sewer departments.
- Fiber optic installation.
The N&S Locating Services layoffs might feel like a door slamming shut, but the construction industry is desperate for people who aren’t afraid of dirt and know how to read a map.
FAQs About the Situation
Is N&S Locating Services going out of business?
There is no official indication that the entire company is folding. Layoffs are usually a restructuring tactic to cut costs in specific regions or divisions that aren’t profitable, rather than a total shutdown.
Can I collect unemployment if I was a contract locator?
Most locators for major companies are W-2 employees, meaning yes, you are eligible for unemployment benefits. If you were an independent 1099 contractor, it gets trickier and depends on your state laws.
Why do locating companies layoff people in the winter?
It’s the “frozen ground” problem. In northern states, construction grinds to a halt in winter. Ticket volume plummets. Companies often shed staff in November/December and try to re-hire in March/April. It’s a brutal seasonal cycle.
What is the average severance for a utility locator?
To be honest? Usually zero. Unless you are in management, field technicians rarely get severance packages. You typically get paid out for your unused PTO (vacation time), and that’s about it.
Final Thoughts
The utility world is rough. It’s not for the faint of heart. Whether you are dealing with angry homeowners, biting dogs, or corporate downsizing, it takes a thick skin to survive.
If you caught the bad end of the N&S Locating Services layoffs, take a breath. It feels personal, but it isn’t. It’s just the gears of a messy industry grinding.
Pack up your boots, update that resume (and emphasize your safety record—safety is gold), and start looking at the municipalities. The city jobs might be boring, but they rarely lay you off just because the stock market had a bad week.
Keep your head up. The ground is still full of pipes, and someone has to find them.