There are around 700,000 electricians working in the country today, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be around 80,000 new electrician jobs available every year through 2031 and that most of those jobs will go to replace the existing workforce. At present, there is a serious shortage of specialized professionals at the national level, in particular electricians. Skilled trades are an endangered species these days, as more and more young people are opting for jobs in technology, business administration and other university careers. One possible reason for this change is that younger generations aren't as interested in skilled labor.
Only 16.7% of high school and college students say they want to work in construction, compared to 76.5% who want to work in technology. With the exception of public services and some smaller industries, we will see more electrician jobs added over the next 10 years. However, the complex nature of the COVID-19 pandemic means that the above figures don't tell the whole story about the shortage of electricians. This means that a large part of the expected growth over the next 10 years will be dedicated to replacing the jobs we lost during the pandemic.
In fact, if the estimated increases due to the recovery from the pandemic are excluded, the projected growth rate for all occupations falls from 7.7% to 1.7%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 84,700 electrician positions will be added every year, on average, over the decade. Homeowners may experience longer wait times for electrical repairs and installations as a result of a shortage of electricians. If your home needs an electrical repair or installation, you may have to wait longer than usual for an appointment with a professional.
This is due to the expected shortage of skilled labor that is significantly affecting the electrical field. In addition, rising demand for renewable energy, infrastructure modernization, and domestic electrical repairs are overwhelming the electricians' workforce. Let's take a look at the causes of the shortage of electricians and what homeowners can expect for the future of electrical repairs and installations. So what's causing this shortage of qualified electricians? These are the main causes of the current shortage of electricians.
The average age of electricians is 41.7 years, according to the U.S. In addition, 20% of electricians are expected to reach retirement age in the next 10 years. According to the National Association of Electrical Contractors, members of the Baby Boomer generation represent 70% of electrical industry supervisors. As they retire, fewer people are available to train new electricians.
Electricians leave the field because of retirement, a disability, or a faster career change than new people entering the field. To fill their vacancies and meet the growing demand for electrical jobs, electric companies are working to hire young electricians to fill their positions in residential, commercial and industrial environments. The growing need to upgrade the power grid, expand communications equipment and connect alternative energy sources to homes is creating greater demand for electricians. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shortage of electricians became evident to the general public, as people spent long periods at home and invested in home improvement projects, many of which required the hiring of a qualified professional.
The BLS projects that 84,700 vacancies for electricians will be added every year, on average, over the next decade. Wanting less physically demanding work In a world with an increasing demand for domestic solar panels and electric vehicle chargers, the field of electricity is changing rapidly. That means that electricians must learn to install and repair new products and code changes through continuing education. More and more electricians and businesses are specializing in certain services, which means that homeowners can find it difficult to find someone who can complete the requested repairs.
The high demand for qualified electricians also means that companies have a lot of work, so they can choose the jobs they take on. For example, a local electrician may prioritize a large and complex electrical job rather than a request to add some outlets. For homeowners, this shortage of electricians means that you may have to modify the way you request the help of an experienced electrician. You can make the job more attractive if you wait until you have a handful of projects to be completed by an electrician.
If you belong to a homeowners' association, you can contact other members to group electricity-related jobs. For example, hire an electrician to install electric vehicle chargers in everyone's garage at the same time. You can also learn to do some simple electrical work yourself, but avoid taking on projects that could harm your home or yourself. I have heard a lot of people talk about the shortage of electricians in the labor field and about the enormous amount of work, OT and opportunities.
The SkillUp Coalition is working with Philadelphia nonprofit organizations, training centers and employers to attract more people to these high-demand jobs that offer great growth. Look across the border in Canada, there are so many jobless electricians who have to travel to different provinces or look for other jobs, and the government still wants more merchants to move to Canada. Even though the Union does everything it can to get people through the program, there are still many who drop out of school because of poor grades or because people are simply unable to bear the physical and mental cost of construction, especially in the first two years of doing heavy work. The group of qualified electricians who can execute the job competently is much smaller than most people think tbh.
People are consuming more electricity than before, and more electricians are needed to install and maintain these electrical systems. .
