General state of the welding industry?

[sturugged]

Hello All forum members ,

I was just surfing around and noticed that there are lots of sites in both the USA and Canada where guys seem to be selling off their equipment. I understand that jobs come and go ,but is the recession really affecting lots of people in the welding trades on both sides of the border? I understand there are some people in certain places that will comment that there is nothing wrong , and others that probably think the world is coming to an end. I guess I am interested in hearing everyone's point of view. please feel free to post and state your opinions. Im sure everyone will agree some industries are sort of immune and others definately are not. How are the union and non union guys doing? Big industry or individual owner operators?

[MMW]

In my area, north NJ, most welding jobs in fab shops or manufacturing shops have left the state or just folded up. This is a combination of NJ being anti manufacturing & the economy. Browsing the help wanted ads shows very, very few welding jobs & the majority of them paying $10 to $16 per hour. In this area that is not very good pay. One of my tenants is going to school for welding & is in the ironworkers union. Hasn't worked in a long time & he said the guy at the hall told him it is as bad as he has ever seen. He also said the ironworkers local place where he tests told him they were thinking of stopping their welding program for now because they are training guys but have no work for them & nothing coming. They have such a backlog of welders that it would take them a long time just to put the current guys back to work. In my area I find most welders who can only weld are sitting doing nothing. It is the guys who can weld & can turn a wrench that are keeping going. The people who seem busiest are the one man show who has little overhead & can keep his prices on the low end & does quality work.

[sturugged]

Thanks for the reply MMW ,I guess everywhere else it must be tickety-boo in the wide world of welding judging by the number of replies we seem to be getting...

[hockeyguynick]

It kind of depends on where you are, and what exactly you weld. My buddy is just finally going back to full time work after almost a year of partial weeks back home in Ohio working in a place where they build machinery. Automotive industry, among others, are gettin bad up there. As for here in VA, our shipyard is constantly hiring welders, it helps I basically get paid by the Navy. I have heard from several people that a large percentage of welders are getting up in age and ready to retire, so young guys looking to get into it will have a job.... so who knows what the real story on our futures is

[MMW]

I have heard from several people that a large percentage of welders are getting up in age and ready to retire, so young guys looking to get into it will have a job.... so who knows what the real story on our futures is ------------------------I have heard the above about all trades for the last 20 years. So far I have not heard of a nationwide demand for any of them.

[sturugged]

thanks hockeyguynick,

I guess as long as there is a need for defense contracts to build carriers or other ships there wont be a shortage of jobs in your neck of the woods. I suppose if world peace breaks out it will be a different story. Nice to hear that regardless you are still working and that there is still opportunity for new jobs.

[JonnyTIG]

Alberta seems to be ok, most of the industries seem to be picking up and hiring. The shop I work for just hired 10 new welders in the past month starting between 28 and 32/hour, bringing the total # of new guys since I started back in March to around 15, and OT is available to anyone who wants it.

[nfinch86]

Hello All forum members ,

I was just surfing around and noticed that there are lots of sites in both the USA and Canada where guys seem to be selling off their equipment. I understand that jobs come and go ,but is the recession really affecting lots of people in the welding trades on both sides of the border? I understand there are some people in certain places that will comment that there is nothing wrong , and others that probably think the world is coming to an end. I guess I am interested in hearing everyone's point of view. please feel free to post and state your opinions. Im sure everyone will agree some industries are sort of immune and others definately are not. How are the union and non union guys doing? Big industry or individual owner operators?

This is my busiest year ever. I'm going seven days a week, I made two service calls on Sunday @ $500. for just Sunday !!!!!

I'm lovin' this year !
Last year was Totally Dead !

............ Norm

[shorerider16]

I have heard from several people that a large percentage of welders are getting up in age and ready to retire, so young guys looking to get into it will have a job.... so who knows what the real story on our futures is ------------------------I have heard the above about all trades for the last 20 years. So far I have not heard of a nationwide demand for any of them.

I know exactly what you mean. Stories like this are constantly pushed in the mainstream media, but most of it's fluff. The big wheels in the industry like to see a surplus of trained tradespeople around because the increased competition for jobs lowers the overall wages, and what better way to create a surplus of tradespeople than to keep pumping up the story of an impending shortage. All through highschool we were constantly told that in five years the shortage would be so bad that projects were going to be put on hold, well it's five years later now, and there are not a million and one job opportunities awaiting me.

This scam is right up there with the stories of getting your "ticket" and making a hundred grand a year, if I had a dollar for every time I've hear that one I wouldn't need to worry about the job market.

[welder_one]

i dunno, here in arkansas, i can count 6 of the local on site welding services that have pseudo retired, downsizing and handing off work to us younger fellas that are starting out... this is my busiest year to date, my busiest month at that too... the average wage for a shop welder is puny, so there arent many weldors out there and available, it just isnt popular to be a shop hand here. the gas wells that are going up around is keeping everyone runnin around like a one legged man in a butt whoopin contest

[shovelon]

As far as union work, I have been told that it is really bad times here in So. Cal.

Non union welding jobs in manufacturing have collapsed here. Sheet metal shops and machine shops are very slow and a lot are still closing. The welding that went along with them are ending up in the one man machine and sheet metal shops by default. So I agree the one man shops can do well.

The work coming into my shop are from those one man shops keeping me and my 2 welders pretty busy. But that is only because I layed off 3 welders since last year.

One man weld concerns seem to be weathering the storm.

[c wagner]

Sask. seems steady, some guys are really busy other guys are just getting by.
Interestingly enough over the previous 3 years the majority of welding decks and skids we made were for guys just getting into the portable welding business. This year we have been building more than normal, but they are all guys that have been portable welding for 5 plus years and are established in their niche.
I anticipate 2011 will be more of the same, steady but not knock your socks off busy.

[jsm11]

I'm in Northern, Al - Huntsville to be exact.
The jobs are advertised, but getting through the door is a different story.
Work is slow.

There are no SMAW hirings.
There are a few MIG hirings for peanuts of course. Right around $9-13an hour.
Anything in my neck of the woods requires you to be a combo welder, and those are few and far between.

Most of the jobs listed for "newbies" are in the shipyards in South AL, or in South Mississippi. I have Family in MD, and am a skip away from trying to make a run up in the northeast in a shipyard.

The quote about a shortage is true to an extent. The babyboomers are near retirement. Thus potentially leaving an appreciable gap in the crafts industry.

The largest problems we face in the crafts is that we are not, and do not plan to build anything other than what is necessary in this country. We have become a country that does not produce, or manufacture.

And we have a society where companies can neither afford nor desire to train. Which is why the local community colleges are killing it.

I'm a recent graduate from our welding school. After getting my Bachelor's and finding there was little work in my desired field. I'd graduated with a teaching degree. I regrouped and aimed at the trades. I'm certified; smaw awsd1.1, smaw asme section ix, gtaw asme section ix, and with a few other qualifications thrown in to make what I feel is a rather nice assortment of skills. No one cares.

Upon completion of my tig class I've found that I can't even get through the door because I do not have certs, or experience with stainless

I've now invested 15k into my welding career, and am wondering if it'll ever takeoff. I never got a break in the teaching field and am finding I may not get a break in welding either.

There is still light at the end of the tunnel.
Yet, I don't know what direction to head.

It is nice to hear that some regions are going strong.

Good Luck to everyone....[/COLOR]

[1930case]

I never got a break in the teaching field and am finding I may not get a break in welding either.

The economy for entry-level anything is dead for at least a decade. If you are still young enough, join the military (USAF or Navy) and weld (or whatever) there. With your degree you could shoot for a commission and not shovel guano with the enlisted folks. The delayed enlistment program (it can take a while to get in) time is credited against pay date, which works nicely over time. Afterwards, you'll get paid to go get another degree (4-year G.I. Bill ride plus stipend to live on) so it's a win-win deal.
The working conditions and benefits crush civilian jobs by comparison, and full medical with a retirement after 20 years (minimum) is unbeatable. I joined during the recession in 1981, had a (mostly) great time for 26 years, and haven't felt any economic speedbumps since.
Teaching is doomed because no one wants to pay teachers, and while crafts have a solid future they don't have any benefits in most situations. It's either feast or famine, and if you didn't rathole enough cash for the famines you are SOL.

[shorerider16]

I guess I should qualify my statement by saying that that is the case where I live. Some regions will have different situations.

In the lower mainland alone we have three well known institutions pumping out full classes of c level graduates , sometimes more than one, every year. Of course some of these graduates don't follow through with welding as a career, (some because they can't get work, others because they can't cut it) regardless, there are far more new tradesmen coming out of school than there are jobs available. This doesn't just apply to entry level, there are B level course running on a regular basis as well. From what I've seen at BCIT while taking my fab that there is no shortage of fresh workers coming up in all different trades, that place is busy all year long.

Around here the whole story just seems like a big load of propaganda.