Today’s plumber combines time-tested methods with high-tech equipment to do the job better and faster than ever before. Plumbers work residential, commercial and municipal customers. There’s also plenty of plumbing work to be found in new construction. Plumbers repair and install sinks, toilets, water heaters, waste disposers, dishwashers, commercial grease traps, septic systems and much more. They also excavate, repair or replace underground water supply and sewer pipelines to keep them flowing freely.

SKILLS:

Training can take three to five years, depending on the level to which you want to reach. Master plumbers can command a lot of work and great wages but there’s plenty of work available for less experienced apprentices, journeymen and drain cleaners with various skill sets and experience. Plumbing and drain cleaning companies like Roto-Rooter pay top wages for experienced plumbers and also offer internal training programs that will put mechanically inclined individuals on the job in a matter of months. Trainees progress according to how quickly they learn. Many employers offer attractive healthcare/benefits packages as a way of enticing and keeping good plumbers.
Prospective plumbers should have a basic mechanical aptitude that includes the ability to use hand tools. Basic math skills are also important. A friendly and outgoing personality is a definite plus when dealing with customers who expect the plumber to describe a problem and explain what can be done to repair it.

AVAILABILITY:

There’s a shortage of skilled plumbers. Plumbing companies compete for talented plumbers due to increasing mobility of the workforce, an aging employee base and shortage of highly skilled workers. According to the Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors Association, the industry needs twenty percent more workers per year than it is getting and in five years the plumbing industry could face a crisis without more skilled plumbers. Plumbing is an industry that cannot be outsourced and it is largely recession- resistant. Total employment for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters:
2002 employment: 492,126
Estimated 2012: 584,068
Projected demand 2002-2012: 18.7% (+91,942)
(Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor)

PAY SCALE:

The scale varies depending upon region. At Roto-Rooter, a plumber can earn $40,000 in his first year doing residential and commercial plumbing repairs. Some experienced Roto-Rooter plumbers and master plumbers earn over $100,000 per year.

Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters are among the highest paid construction occupations. In 2002, median hourly earnings of pipelayers were $13.70. The middle 50 percent earned between $10.96 and $18.43. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $9.20, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $24.31. Also in 2002, median hourly earnings of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters were $19.31. The middle 50 percent earned between $14.68 and $25.87. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $11.23, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $32.27. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in 2002 are shown below. (Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor)