Sep 7, 2017 3 min read

Government statistics indicate that local and national job markets are prospering. The unemployment rate in the United States is 4.4 percent, one of the lowest points in decades, while the Pittsburgh region is at 4.9 percent, an 18-month low.

But statistics, as any sports fan could attest, can be deceptive. And when it comes to job-related figures, there is no better evidence of that than what is happening with skilled labor, where demand greatly outstrips supply.

Employers throughout Western Pennsylvania are looking for welders, machinists, service technicians and other skilled laborers to fill positions, but aren’t finding enough people to fill them. A study by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development found more than 1,000 skilled jobs opened in the region in 2015, but less than half – 472 – were filled.

This gap will widen with time. One reason is baby boomers – a significant segment of the workforce – will be retiring. The Allegheny Conference estimated that over the next decade, retirements will create a need to hire 7,000 skilled workers per year in the region.

But a more significant reason may be the $6 billion ethane cracker plant Shell is building in Beaver County. Michael Bradwell, business editor of the Observer-Reporter, reported in an article Sunday more than 6,000 construction workers are expected to be hired there over the next several years, including an estimated 450 welders.

There also is a glaring need, which probably will rise to a severe need, for workers in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration. A local manager with the HVAC company Lennox said about 50,000 HVAC positions are available nationwide and that the average age of a technician in that field is 56.

The key, of course, is drawing more young people toward skilled labor. Some high school graduates are daunted by the term “labor,” even if they aren’t aware of what it entails, and college remains an attractive option for many. Still, the preponderance of available skilled positions, some of which pay well from the start, should be a powerful lure, especially with the long-term job growth that is projected.

Younger students, according to Bradwell’s article, are responding in kind. Katie Sleasman, a guidance counselor at Greene County Career and Technology Center, said the morning and afternoon welding classes are beyond capacity and there is a waiting list to register. Bob Bazant, president of Penn Commercial Business and Technical School, said that after the school partnered with Lennox for a new HVAC training area, enrollment in that program “more than doubled.”

Opportunities are out there, and should continue to be for years.