As business continues to boom in Ohio, there is a growing need for more workers in skilled trades, such as electricians, plumbers and construction workers. To keep up with Ohio's growth, there is more demand than ever for workers to fill these high-paying positions. In 2003, the magazine Electrical Contractor wrote about an imminent shortage of electricians and warned that it was “too late to avoid it”. Now, nearly 20 years later, it's clear they were right.
Employers have struggled to fill electrician positions for years, long before a national labor shortage made the news last year. Like many economic problems, the shortage of electricians is the result of a mismatch between supply and demand. On the supply side, there aren't enough young electricians entering the industry, as experienced electricians retire. On the demand side, more electricians will be needed to meet our nation's growing electricity needs.
From a general perspective, there are three main causes behind the shortage of electricians. The first cause of the shortage of electricians is that experienced electricians leave the industry. While many of these retirements are part of the normal employment cycle, some are premature departures. Electricians leaving the industry would not be a problem if new electricians came up to replace them.
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. Instead of attending trade school or finding an apprenticeship position, young adults enroll in two- or four-year colleges and universities. Members of Generation Z, the generation behind Millennials who are now entering the workforce, are more likely to enroll in college than any previous generation.
Generation Z workers also value flexible hours and remote work, and those accommodations aren't always possible with tight workplace schedules. But striking a balance between retirements and new hires isn't the answer either. We need more new electricians than those who are leaving. People use more electricity than before, and more electricians are needed to install and maintain these electrical systems.
Not all industries are experiencing electrician shortages in the same way. While overall demand for electricians is increasing, some industries are growing more than others. With these figures, it is important to keep in mind that the differences between current and expected employment of electricians are not representative of a shortage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics always assumes that the supply of electricians will meet demand.
The above figures estimate future demand for electricians in various industries. They don't make predictions about the supply side of the equation. With the exception of utilities and a few smaller industries, we will see more electrician jobs in the next 10 years. However, the complex nature of the COVID-19 pandemic means that the above figures do not tell the whole story of 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, excluding estimated increases due to the recovery from the pandemic, the projected growth rate for all occupations falls from 7.7% to 1.7%. The change was slight, demand for electricians is still growing after all, but it's enough to make you wonder how the pandemic could be changing the shortage of electricians forever. While the shortage of skilled labor is a huge problem, acting in this way can help you reduce its impact on your business.
Electricians are in demand across the country, and many employers hire them for their skills and experience. Becoming an electrician is a good profession in Ohio because it offers job opportunities and a steady income. The number of jobs for electricians is expected to increase due to the growing demand for electrical services. After all, without skilled workers such as electricians, society will face many problems and growth will be hampered.
The increase in demand is largely due to the increase in devices, buildings and vehicles that rely on electricity. According to BLS, an average of approximately 84,700 job offers for electricians are projected each year over the decade. Electricians are also needed for power generation and distribution, as well as for industrial plants that require heavy machinery.
