Skilled trades opportunities will continue to abound

Those who have the opportunity to spend time with younger family members over this holiday break may be tempted to ask questions such as "What do you want to be when you grow up?" or "What are you studying in college?" A growing number of employers are hoping the answer to that question is plumber, carpenter or even conveyor belt repairperson. There are so few people entering (or staying in) the skilled trades that consulting firm McKinsey predicts an estimated imbalance of 20 job openings for every one net new employee between 2022 and 2032. Employers such as Walmart and Lowes have started their own training programs to hire from within as a way to address the surge in retirements and slowdown in immigration that has resulted in crippling labor shortages in the skilled trades. To do the kinds of jobs that require a person who knows how to fix something, or build something, "We don't have enough people," according to Mervin Jebaraj of the University of Arkansas' Walton College of Business. These aren't low-paying jobs, either. For example, one 24-year-old Walmart employee who went through the company's tech training program is now responsible for fixing not only conveyor belts but other equipment at some of Walmart's Texas distribution centers. She makes $43.50 an hour, according to a report by the Associated Press. Good help is hard to find. Right now, it's just about impossible. So as employers, trade unions and technical schools implement new training programs to try to fill the gap, a young person could do far worse than learning to become the one others call when something breaks. The need is great. Fortunately, we know there are plenty of those considering when and how to join the work force for whom the ability to get the job done is greater.