Hot Jobs: Plumbers are in demand
Patience and plumbing go hand in hand.
“Ask anybody who does their own plumbing on weekends and they’ll tell you they had to run to Home Depot 10 times,” said Shawn Austin, who lives in Spencerport and owns Austin Family Plumbing with wife Billie-Jo.
And if you’re a professional like Austin, you meet more than your fair share of grumpy customers. “A lot of people have already tried to fix the problem themselves and now they’re angry,” he added.
Construction of buildings and the need for new septic systems are expected to drive demand for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters faster than the average for all occupations nationwide, according to the New York State Labor Department. In the Finger Lakes region, employment opportunities are expected to jump 11.4 percent between 2010 and 2020, with 40 annual openings.
Plumbing jobs are often more complicated than they seem. Cabinets being replaced during a kitchen remodel, for example, can reveal plumbing that snakes down to the basement and has been leaking for years.
They can require boots, garbage cans and tarps as well. “Sometimes you’re dealing with 50-year-old sewer pipes and you have to try to get in and out of the house without getting anything all over the floors,” said Austin, certified by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and licensed as a plumber in several area towns. “There is a lot of cleaning for those big messes.”
In addition to solving problems at all times of the day and night (basements flood, water mains break, water heaters malfunction), Austin enjoys meeting all sorts of people who open up about their lives. “There are times you do work for someone who’s 85 years old and fought in World War II, and before you know it you’ve become friends with them and become their guy,” he explained.
Everyone needs a reliable plumber, said Austin: “Everybody’s got to go to the bathroom.”
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters
The job: Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair pipes that carry liquids or gases to businesses, homes and factories.
The pay: The median annual pay for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters was $49,140 in May 2012.
The prospects: Employment of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in the Finger Lakes region is expected to grow 11.4 percent between 2010 and 2020, with 40 annual openings.
The preparation: Although most plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters learn on the job through an apprenticeship, some start out by attending a technical school. Most states and localities require plumbers to be licensed.
Sources: New York State Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Labor