At Skilled Trades Partners, we answer that question with a resounding Yes!
Plumbers are in high demand with New England contractors right now, and their wages are reflecting it.
Plumbers and their close cousins, pipe, and steamfitters, are doing quite well right now. From The Bureau of Labor Statistics:
In May 2020 (the last available full year), the median annual wages for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Manufacturing $58,580
Government 58,260
Heavy and civil engineering construction 56,840
Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors 55,620
Those are some pretty impressive numbers, and plumbers are hard to hire in this current market (unless you know where to look!). But there are different levels of certification for plumbers, depending on the state. So let’s look at the ins and outs of finding and hiring plumbers with different levels of certification. In Massachusetts, for example, there are three levels:
- Apprentice—requires 150 hours of trade school training
- Journeyman—requires 550 hours of course work and 8500 work hours to apply for the Journeyman’s exam
- Master Plumber—requires one year of working as a journeyman
From the small business experts at Huckleberry:
How do I get a master plumbing license in Massachusetts?
You can apply to become a master plumber after holding a Massachusetts journeyman plumber license for at least a year. You’ll need to submit a Statement of Experience and Education Form, which attests that you’ve completed the journeyman education requirements of 248 CMR 11.00. You’ll also need to submit to a criminal background check (called a CORI) and submit a 2×2 color passport photo.
Once you’ve passed the master plumbing license exam, you are now eligible to work without restriction in Massachusetts. You can hire journeymen or apprentices to work under you and can start your very own plumbing business.
Licensed Master Plumbers can supervise other plumbers, work completely autonomously, and manage projects in the field. Journeyman also require a lessr level of supervision, and apprentices require constant supervision.
So, what’s the bottom line? If you’re trying to hire plumbers, of any level of certification, we can help.
Get the skilled construction workers you need from the expert recruitment team at Skilled Trades Partners. Whether you need temporary, specialized talent for a project or want to add skilled tradespeople to your permanent workforce, we can provide employees who are skilled, vetted, and ready to work.
When you partner with Skilled Trades Partners, you can expect our team to help you:
- Access the skilled, specialized tradespeople you need—quickly!
- Control labor costs
- Increase productivity
- Complete projects on time
Are you a construction hiring manager or hiring specialist with a skilled trades job search, or searches, underway?
Call us today at one of our four New England office locations:
ME: 207-888-2683
NH: 603-237-1880
CT: 860-200-1374
MA: 508-689-9728
Or get in touch online. Our expert skilled trades recruiters are waiting for your call.