Annual salaries for electricians, power line workers, and electronic systems technicians at some employers grew an average of 13% between 2015 and 2021, according to a survey of 140 construction-related companies conducted by the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER).
NCCER’s 2022 Construction Craft Salary Survey puts the average reported commercial electrician salary at $65,398, up 13% from 2015, and the average industrial electrician salary at $59,305, up 1.3% from 2015, but down considerably from $67,269 in NCCER’s 2018 survey.
The average power line worker's salary increased 21% from 2015, to $85,072, for one of the sharpest increases of all positions surveyed. Electronic systems technicians’ average salary is $72,179, up about 18% since 2015.
Salaries for these positions fell mostly in the middle of the range for the 41 construction occupations the survey covered: $49,920 to $98,965. At the low end were positions like highway worker, solar photovoltaic installer, and framer. At the high end were positions like project manager, project supervisor and power line installer.
Overall, the survey, which purports to reveal the current pay of many of some 337,000 workers employed at the companies that participated, shows construction craft workers probably holding their own in terms of general workforce salary trends. Pay overall has been rising, tracking compensation growth that factors in inflation and unemployment numbers and possibly reflecting the construction industry’s struggle to find enough workers to meet its needs during a sustained period of pre-pandemic revenue growth.
The survey data is evidence that much construction work today can pay decent, if not stellar wages, and that employers are likely being pressured to hike pay and other components of compensation as they compete for workers in a tighter job market. But Tim Taylor, P.E, Ph.D., director of research at NCCER, says while wages will be an important element of construction industry workforce stabilization, especially in the short term, companies will also need to focus on other factors that may be just as important in recruiting and retention. Needing more young workers as its workforce rapidly ages, the industry must also hone its appeal to desires for work-life meaning, purpose, and personal growth.
“The construction industry talks a lot about salary opportunities, with a big focus on wages, but what we’ve seen in high school and college student surveys is that they may be less motivated by wage and salary considerations than previous generations,” Taylor says. “They’re not all wanting to run off and join the Peace Corps, but there’s more interest in learning opportunities, ‘giving back,’ and building community in the larger sense of the word. The industry has not done a good job of talking broadly about opportunities it offers.”
Construction has long suffered from an image problem in that context, but increasing sophistication tied to its central role in environmental sustainability is contributing to its appeal as a cutting-edge field, Taylor says, noting that “construction has been making the world a better place for a long time, and the industry needs to do a better job of advertising that.”
A survey Taylor co-authored in 2020, “Young Talent Motivations to Pursue Craft Careers in Construction: The Theory of Planned Behavior,” found that while pay is a lure for young people initially attracted to the field, other factors relating to enduring satisfaction come into play. The American Society of Civil Engineers, which gave the research its best paper award in 2021, said the study found “there is greater motivation in developing a passion for building, participating in an activity that benefits society, having learning opportunities, and selecting a career that commands respect.” ASCE said the paper highlights the importance of giving students interested in construction careers ample opportunity to discover early on through apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships and on-the-job training whether it’s a career they can excel in.
A 2021 “Skilled Trades In America” survey of 2,400 skilled tradespeople by Angi found that “meaning and value in work” got the most mentions (22%) as the primary reason for job satisfaction. Compensation got the second most mentions, however, and increased as a top factor from a 2020 survey. Indeed, the importance of compensation is hard to overstate. Topping the list of incentives to attract workers, 35% said they were offering above average wages, and 33% were offering performance bonuses. The findings, Angi says, point to work the industry must do to attract more workers.
“The major disconnect is reflected by the incongruity behind what drives job satisfaction – meaning and value in work – and highlighting that as a benefit,” the report states. “Only 18% of pros highlight job satisfaction as part of their recruitment offering, making it the second least provided incentive.”
Tom Zind is a freelance writer based in Lees Summit, Mo. He can be reached at [email protected].
