Surging
The job market for electricians is booming. Driven by a seismic shift to electrify-everything, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that 80,000 new electrician jobs will be created annually until 2031, taking the total number pursuing the profession over the 1 million mark for the first time in over 30 years.
Soaring demand for specialist knowledge to install solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, electric stoves, and more, means an increasingly attractive pay packet for those in the industry. Indeed, the average electrician's hourly wage in April was up an inflation-busting 7.4% year-over-year. That takes the average hourly pay in the industry to $37.50 — or an annual salary of roughly $78,000.
Power up
However, the industry faces a significant challenge in attracting younger generations to join the trade. Outdated perceptions and underestimations of the potential earnings associated with skilled trades, including electricians, persist among many high school graduates.
Flipping the switch on these misconceptions, and encouraging more women to become electricians — currently just 2% of employed electricians in the US are women — will be crucial in keeping the profession fully charged.
