America's Plumber Deficit Isn't Good for the Economy

I used to think the trades is where the money is. I&#x27;ve met so many plumbers, AC repairmen, general contractors, firealarm installers - who are really doing well for themselves. Then just the other day there was a Reddit thread about lack of jobs in trades in Toronto. I did a double take. The joke in our friends was our immigrant parents pushed us to study and get corporate jobs and all the trades folks and real-estate agents seem to be doing better than us. A true grass is greener on the other side moment.<p>I learned that at most trades companies, there are folks with over 20 years of experience and then newbies. No one in between. Every economic cycle, the folks with 5-10 years of experience get laid off. Apprentice are rarely trained by the old dog and put out in the field with minimal experience.<p>Perhaps this is a Toronto, Ontario problem. Ontario is going through a major economic cycle that has almost everyone feeling quite hard times. Or perhaps this is just the negativity that is Reddit. There is also the BS that income waged workers pay double, if not more, taxes that businesses or self employed workers.

&gt; The mean annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters as of May 2022 was $65,190, the BLS says, which is higher than the national average of $61,900 for all occupations.<p>Yikes, no wonder. You can be beating that wage by <i>a lot</i> in a union factory job after a few years, and you can start that straight out of high school. TC, not wage, is probably <i>crazy</i>-higher. And that’s average for plumbers, not starting.

Something not often discussed when it comes to work in the trades is that it can really beat up your body after some years. Not uncommon to hear stories of guys getting hooked on painkillers.

PEX needs to be legal in more cities like New York and Chicago.

How long until AI can do the plumbing?