The Critical Welder Shortage in America: What You Need to Know in 2025
The United States is facing a skilled labor crisis that threatens to slow down infrastructure projects, manufacturing growth, and clean energy initiatives. At the heart of this challenge lies a severe shortage of welders—one of the most essential skilled trades in the American economy.
For manufacturing companies seeking reliable welding services, understanding this shortage is crucial to planning production timelines and securing skilled labor partnerships.
The Numbers Tell a Troubling Story
The American Welding Society recently updated their projections, indicating that the country needs approximately 330,000 welders over the next four years. This represents a significant increase from previous estimates and highlights how rapidly the problem is escalating.
As of September 2022, there were approximately 428,000 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers employed in the United States, with the manufacturing sector accounting for 64% of those jobs. However, this number falls far short of what's needed to meet growing demand across multiple industries.
Why Is There a Welder Shortage?
An Aging Workforce
The primary driver of the welder shortage is demographics. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the average age in the welding industry is 55, significantly higher than the US average employee age of 42. About 26% of welders are over the age of 55, with only 18% being under the age of 25, creating a concerning generational gap.
As experienced welders retire, there simply aren't enough young professionals entering the field to replace them. This makes finding a welding company with a stable, skilled workforce increasingly valuable for businesses planning production runs.
The College-First Mentality
For decades, American society has pushed four-year college degrees as the default path to success. This cultural shift has created an unintended consequence: skilled trades like welding have been stigmatized as careers for those without higher education.
This perception couldn't be further from the truth. Welding requires precision, technical knowledge, focus, and continuous skill development. Yet many high school graduates continue to overlook welding in favor of traditional college paths, even when welding offers comparable or better financial outcomes.
Explosive Growth in Key Industries
Federal funding for infrastructure projects, chip factories, and clean energy production is boosting demand for workers to build those projects. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and government clean energy initiatives all rely heavily on skilled welders.
Additionally, the Navy is hoping to ramp up submarine production fivefold by 2028, further intensifying competition for welding talent in the defense sector.
The Financial Reality: Welding Pays Well
One of the biggest misconceptions about welding is that it doesn't pay well. The data tells a different story.
The average salary for a welder in the US is $40,000, compared to a national average wage of just $31,000. However, this is just entry-level compensation. Specialized welders working in challenging environments can earn significantly more.
Welders working on rigs, underwater, in nuclear plants, on industrial pipelines, and on military bases can earn annual salaries between $160,000 and $200,000.
The Education Cost Advantage
A 4-year university degree can cost over $100,000 compared to welding training programs which start from only $5,250 and run for 3-7 months. This means welders enter the workforce faster with far less debt while earning competitive wages.
In contrast, approximately 53% of those who have completed a bachelor's degree remain unemployed or working in a role that does not require the expensive qualification they studied for.
What Industries Are Most Affected by the Welder Shortage?
Welding skills are in demand across virtually every major sector of the American economy:
Manufacturing: The manufacturing sector accounts for 64% of welding jobs in the United States, including automotive, aerospace, and fabricated metal products. Companies requiring small batch, medium batch, or large batch production welding services are competing for the same limited pool of skilled welders.
Construction: Employers added 39,000 construction jobs in March, about twice the monthly average over the past year, with unfilled construction jobs near a record high at the end of February.
Energy: From oil and gas pipelines to wind turbines and solar installations, the energy sector requires skilled welders for both traditional and renewable energy infrastructure.
Defense and Aerospace: Military equipment, submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft all depend on precision welding with stringent quality standards.
Infrastructure: Aging bridges, roads, and public works across America need welders for maintenance, repair, and reconstruction.
States with the Highest Demand
The welder shortage isn't uniform across the country. Some states are experiencing particularly acute shortages:
Georgia is projected to see 17% growth, or more than 17,000 new welding jobs through 2032, driven by booming automotive production, aerospace, and metal manufacturing industries.
Texas is expected to add nearly 56,000 new welding jobs by 2032, with an 11% projected growth rate, fueled by the state's energy production and booming construction industry.
Connecticut's demand for welders is projected to grow by 12%, driven by one of the nation's largest aerospace and defense industries, with companies manufacturing aircraft engines, submarines, and critical defense components.
How the Welder Shortage Affects Your Production Planning
For businesses that rely on welding services, the shortage creates several challenges:
Longer Lead Times: With fewer welders available, production schedules can extend significantly, especially for custom or specialized welding projects.
Higher Costs: The laws of supply and demand mean welding services are becoming more expensive as companies compete for limited talent.
Quality Concerns: Some companies may be tempted to hire less experienced welders or rush projects, potentially compromising quality standards.
Capacity Constraints: Welding companies may be forced to turn down work or limit the size of projects they can accept.
This is why partnering with an established welding company that has maintained a skilled workforce becomes increasingly important for businesses with ongoing welding needs.
What Smart Companies Are Doing
To attract and retain skilled welders in this competitive market, forward-thinking welding companies are implementing several strategies:
Competitive Compensation: Offering wages above industry averages, performance bonuses, and comprehensive benefits packages to retain top talent.
Modern Equipment: Investing in state-of-the-art welding equipment and technology that makes work more efficient and appealing to skilled professionals.
Training and Development: Providing ongoing training opportunities for welders to expand their skills and stay current with new techniques and certifications.
Improved Working Conditions: Creating safer, more comfortable work environments with proper ventilation, ergonomic workstations, and quality safety equipment.
Work-Life Balance: Offering reasonable schedules and respecting personal time to reduce burnout in a physically demanding profession.
Companies that invest in their welding workforce are better positioned to deliver consistent quality and reliable service even during the shortage.
Why Experience and Stability Matter More Than Ever
In an industry facing a severe shortage, the value of working with an established welding company cannot be overstated. Companies that have built stable teams of experienced welders can offer:
Consistent quality control across small, medium, and large batch production runs
Reliable delivery timelines because they're not constantly searching for temporary help
Deep expertise from welders who have honed their skills over years or decades
Problem-solving capabilities that come from experience with diverse projects
Quality certifications and compliance with industry standards
New or unstable welding operations may struggle to maintain consistency when they're constantly training new employees or relying on contract labor.
The Road Ahead
The welder shortage isn't going away anytime soon. Industry experts predict the gap between supply and demand will continue widening through at least 2028, potentially longer.
For businesses that require welding services—whether for prototype development, small production runs, medium-sized projects, or large-scale manufacturing—the key is establishing relationships with reliable welding partners before the shortage becomes even more severe.
The companies that will thrive are those who plan ahead, secure partnerships with established welding firms, and build their production schedules around realistic timelines that account for limited welding capacity.
Finding the Right Welding Partner
When evaluating welding companies for your production needs, consider these factors:
Workforce stability and experience level
Range of welding processes and capabilities
Track record with projects similar to yours
Quality control procedures and certifications
Capacity to handle your batch sizes
Communication and project management approach
Equipment and facility capabilities
The welder shortage makes it more important than ever to work with a welding company that has proven they can deliver quality work on schedule, regardless of broader industry challenges.
