If you’re considering a career in welding you might be wondering is it on the way out. Do we really need welders anymore? After all, with all the advancements in technology and robotic welders, I can see how you might come to this conclusion but you would be wrong, and here’s why.

Welding is expected to grow by 3% by 2029. Combined with current shortages and companies offering sign on bonuses, higher pay, and more students enrolling in trade schools. Along with aging infrastructure and that 50% of all man-made products require welding it is clear that welding is in high demand.

Personally, as someone who has owned a welding business for over 10 years now I know that this trade is going up all the time. However if you’re still not sure just read the rest of this article to learn why its one of the best times to be a welder right now.

7 Reasons Welding is Not a Dying Trade

If you think welding is a dying trade read these seven points below.

#1 Welding is Growing By 3%

All the statistic show that welding is not only not dying, but it is rather growing each and every day.

There are many reasons that factor into this, and some of these we will touch base upon later in the article. There are many statistical sites out there that base their numbers solely upon welding job number increases and decreases. As time goes by, the increases far outweigh the decreases.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics welding is going to grow on an average of 3% by the year 2029 adding another 13,600 jobs. This is a huge increase when you consider all the different factors that go into this prediction. You can see the statistical data for yourself at the following link:

No matter where you travel, whether it be in the United States or internationally, you will find welders in huge demand. Which leads us into our next reason that welding is not dying, the fact that welding jobs are everywhere!

#2 Welding Jobs are Everywhere

You can call any welding company in a 1000 miles radius and you will see they have positions available, most of these being new positions that were added due to new demand.

One particular website, Indeed.com, shows that there are 19,950+ welding jobs available just in the United States! Visit the website and see available jobs here.

Another commonly used website, Glassdoor.com, shows over 6500 welding jobs being available. Visit the website and see the available jobs here.

These numbers, of course, could easily be doubled or tripled, simply because so many companies do not post their available jobs to online website such as these ones listed.

Usually, they can simply advertise locally, and someone will jump at the opportunity to join one of the oldest trades available.

This means that the likelihood is high that your local welding company is looking for new welders even as you read this article!

#3 Employers are Offering Sign on Bonuses

If you go and look at the majority of the jobs available on the websites above, or call any number you find online for a welding business, you will find that many offer sign-on bonuses for new welders. This is something that you almost never see in other trades.

The reason behind this is because, welding is not a dying trade at all. It is always growing bigger and getting stronger every day, new demands are being created every day, and they are desperately looking for quality people to fill these roles.

With more welding jobs being created every day, it is no wonder they are offering bonuses, the demand increases every day along with that.

You know when employers are looking for welders when they are offering a sign-on bonus. The amount that employers are paying for sign-on bonuses does vary from another.

However, one employer I found was offering a $1500 sign-on bonus!

#4 Welders Are Getting Paid More

Every year, the wages for welders are on the rise. This is in direct correlation with the demand that is rising for quality welders. New industries and new companies are being born everyday and they need people to weld.

Old steel structures are in constant need or repair and replacement. A lot of the things in our world are single-use items and will need to be remade afterward.

Since welders are in short supply companies are offering to pay them more just to entice them. This is simply because welders like to keep quiet about how much money they actually make.

This way they can keep making the same high amount of money as they are used to making.

You can locate jobs ranging from $10 an hour to over $50 dollars an hour. I saw two ads on Indeed.com of 1 company offering $42 an hour and another almost $30 an hour.

It is important to remember that these are simply starting wages! Most welding companies offer a pay raise after the first 6 months, another 6 months after that, and usually once a year for every following year.

#5 More Students Are Entering Welding Trade Programs

Something else we see a large uptick in the number of students entering into welding trade programs every single year. This is a perfect example of why the welding trade is not dying but growing bigger every single day!

Schools across the company are expanding their welding departments to allow more students to be able to train to become welders.

A lot of students are entering welding programs such as the Pennsylvania College of Technology, visit the link below for more information on this specific program:

This school in particular, in order to keep up with demand, says they’re adding on a 55,000 sq foot facility to bring on 60 more students with over 300 students in all!

This is happening across the country as the needs grow every day for more welders. Also remember, a lot of trade schools can be attended for free, with the proper paperwork and that you meet the requirements!

#6 There is a Shortage of Welders

As of the writing of this article, there is a national shortage of welders. The American Welding Society predicts a 375,000 welding shortage by the year 2023.

This happens for a number of reasons, the main one being that trades are not taught in the latter years of high school any longer.

The big push for the traditional college, to build up a large amount of debt and spend the next 20 years making loan payments to stimulate your local economy.

Welders do not need to make loan payments in order to stimulate the economy. They make enough money to put back into the economy just off their income and the taxes they pay on that income.

Any loans that the welder accrues, are ones that they willingly choose to take on.

#7 Aging Infostructure and Product Demand

Finally, most of all the demand for new products. That is because of the fact that 50% of all man-made products require welding!

This is an astounding number! By this thought alone, there should be as many welders in the world as there are food workers.

New companies are being made every day that require welders. As the article below shows, welders are needed now more than ever.

Lastly, fixing aging infostructures such as bridges and buildings is becoming more and more important. Most of the country was built around steel, especially the cities and factories.

This all needs constant repair in order to stay in a usable and safe condition. You could not drive across most towns without driving over a structure that requires welding to keep it safe. This article describes just how strong the demand is.

Welding: The Growing Trade

After going over the 7 biggest reasons that welding is not a dying trade, we could confidently say that welding is in fact one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.

Because 50% of all man-made products need to be welded, welders are going to continue to be in high demand for decades to come.

For these reasons, it would be a highly intelligent move in any person’s life, young or old, to get into the welding trade, sooner rather than later.