Over the past five years, the American welder shortage has gone from concern to crisis. In 1988, according to the US Bureau and Labor Statistics, there were 570,000 welders in the US, but by 2012 that number had dwindled to fewer than 360,000, mainly due to older welders retiring.
Fewer new welders have been coming into the profession, and according to the American Welding Society (AWS), the average age of today’s welding professional is 55-years-old, meaning that retirements over the next few years are likely to take an additional toll.
But while the numbers don’t look good right now when it comes to getting new, qualified men and women to enter the realm of cutting, brazing and soldering, industry leaders continue to work the problem.
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