With the wide popularity of college, certain areas of work and society are left bare and struggling to fill the gaps. Many places hire less experienced individuals because they cannot get anyone to fill the spot, and with the coming retirement of the older generation, it leaves a hole for the trade industry.
Trades are a great alternative for those who don’t want high debt and want to start their adult life earlier. It takes between less than a year to ten years to start working on your own depending on the level you are going for and trade you choose. These are paid time periods as you are starting as an apprentice or a student on a job. Apprentice work pays $45-90 an hour for plumbers, for example, depending on the company and where you live.
With the increase in technology, we are replacing a lot of jobs with automation and AI. But jobs like trades cannot be replaced by these AI and the stress AI put on power plants has increased the demand for trade workers to help keep up with the repairs and expansion. Increased need also means increased pay; the people working trades now are making far more than thirty years ago.
Different trades are in higher demand. Electricians and plumbers are high right now as the power grids and housing is expanding and we don’t have enough people to keep up with all the infrastructure.
New and better ways to work in the trade business have come about such as union work and safety regulations to help keep employees healthy. Such courses are usually provided by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). I myself have taken OSHA 10 and it makes sure employees know their rights and how to operate safely.
Work place deaths happen in the trades when safety is ignored, not taught, or when there is an accident. Even with safety training accidents still happen as the jobs aren’t always safe but we can always do our best to operate in a safe way. It has also helped establish that worker pay can vary because of hazards and health concerns.
Electricians get paid more for working with high voltages because of the risk of and potential for an accident. Other jobs like welding and construction where you work with chemicals explosives and dangerous machinery all get a higher gross pay because of the inherent risk. Some welding jobs are done underwater and they are paid extremely high because of the difficulty and danger with the task.
High power line workers make a lot because they are working with electricity at height and could fall or be electrocuted. It is a high risk high reward industry that are world runs off and we are running low on it.
Overall, there are plenty of trades that need workers, and without an increase in people taking up these trades, we will be in trouble.
