Local, traveling welders for pipeline, pipefitters remain in high demand
Despite record-high unemployment numbers nationwide in many industries due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for welders and pipefitters continues to be strong along the Gulf coast.
Natural gas, petroleum and manufacturing remain important industries for this region and are critical to the region’s overall infrastructure. The highly specific standards of pipefitting and welding for these industries demand service providers with exceptional safety and quality standards who employ highly trained, highly skilled craft professionals.
“Welding and pipefitting have a high degree of oversight for both candidate qualifications and specific tasks. The scope of work defines the baseline qualification a welder must have and determines the skills tests the welder must take before they can proceed with each task,” said Tammy Mallaisé, senior vice president at Zachry Group, an engineering and construction services company based in San Antonio. “Weld processes, equipment, materials, and welders and pipefitters are held to codes and standards as outlined by regulatory organizations like the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Welding Society (AWS).”
Typically, pipefitters and welders with National Center
for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certifications are in high demand, but training and certification is also available through AWS, vocational schools and other organizations.
“However, welding and pipefitting are continuously evolving crafts, which is why welders must pass specific competency tests for each task to ensure they have the most recent and relevant qualifications,” Mallaisé added. “As a pipefitter or welder, you can make full use of your skills every day. And you are given the opportunity to develop new ones — to be challenged in an environment that requires tenacity, courage and strength.”
As of February 2021, the nationwide hourly wage for welders hovers around $17, according to online employment marketplace ZipRecruiter, but average pay in the greater Houston area was a dollar an hour higher. For pipefitters, the national average was $23 an hour.
Mallaisé said that, despite the economic slowdown resulting from COVID-19, industries in the Gulf coast need pipefitters and welders and are positioned for growth. Many opportunities for advancement and increased pay are becoming increasingly available based on skill level, location and years of experience.
“At Zachry Group, pipefitters earn $22 to $42 an hour, depending on the type of work — new construction, maintenance, turnaround, fabrication, and so forth. Some assignments offer an additional per diem of $80 to $91 a day,” Mallaisé said. “Welders earn $25 to $45 an hour, depending on type of work, also with assignments offering additional per diems. New construction and turnaround work have been the best options to earn additional overtime pay, while fabrication and maintenance offered more predictable schedules with minimal relocation.”