In recent years, the public sphere has bestowed renewed respect on the trades as viable alternate career paths apart from academia. Often, tradesmen can find good pay, low barriers to hiring and training, and are able to acquire skills with little or no debt to show for it.
Plumbers are right up there in terms of stable, in-demand careers in 2021. Even more than that, the need for plumbers is, so far, well above the supply of new trainees entering the workforce. So just why are licensed plumbers in such high demand?
A Skilled Trade
Most of us share a simplistic understanding of a plumber as someone who fixes pipes. However, plumbing is a much more dynamic profession than that. In addition to being responsible for all kinds of water systems, plumbers also work on connections for gas lines, help install and maintain septic systems, and plan the layout of plumbing lines.
Construction Demand Increase
An upswing in the construction industry has also impacted the demand for plumbers. Any time a new building is constructed, the job calls for skilled, professional plumbers to plan and install initial water systems.
Meanwhile, existing infrastructure including residential homes and commercial sites are in need of regular maintenance and repair. With so much of our current infrastructure in an aged state, this alone is enough to keep licensed plumbers plenty busy.
Housing Crisis & Recession
When the recession hit several years ago, it forced many plumbers to leave the workforce due to a lack of jobs, especially those already close to retirement. With the economic recovery, those who left did not return for the most part. The rate of loss from the industry, therefore, was steeper than was usual. The rate of new workers entering the industry has not risen to match, creating a widening gap between the number of plumbing jobs available and licensed professionals available to fill them.
Covid-19
The crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic had the opposite effect on plumbing jobs. Instead of these jobs becoming scarce, demand stayed strong and even increased since plumbers were among the class of workers considered essential.
Sustainability and Smart Technology
Not only is going green in vogue, societies everywhere increasingly consider sustainability to be of utmost importance. Scientists warn of water scarcity as a looming threat to the future. Addressing these issues demands more sophisticated and intelligent systems to responsibly manage both water and waste. Once again, plumbers find themselves at the forefront of crucial industrial changes. As such, their expertise is increasingly essential.
Prioritizing College
One more thing that contributed to the current high demand for licensed plumbers was a modern shift in schools away from encouraging trades. High schools largely excised shop classes and the educational system placed a bigger emphasis on preparing students for college in recent decades. This dramatically decreased the flow of young people becoming plumbers right out of school.
Conclusion
Even without a plumber shortage, many know the plumbing profession to be a good one, offering job security and the potential for high pay. And now, with all the myriad forces at work driving high demand for licensed plumbers, those looking at getting into the business may have better opportunities and more choice than ever.