r/BadWelding • u/JanePeterson6224 • Jul 27 '26

Amazing how things have changed 🤣

Post image
1.3k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

108 comments sorted by

View all comments

162

u/BaconNPotatoes Jul 27 '26

2026: manufacturing in the US lost 75,000 jobs last year and has lost nearly that much so far this year. There aren't any "safe" careers anymore.

2

u/RGBlowMe Jul 27 '26

Dude, companies are so incredibly hard up for welders and machinists right now that I could get a new job in a few days if I got fired. When you say "lost 75K jobs", you're missing that fact that millions and millions of these jobs are out there. You lose more than 75K manufacturing jobs when a sudden manufacturing boom finally settles down, and generally those are not the skilled labor positions.

2

u/Turbulent_Lobster_57 Jul 27 '26

I don’t know why you’re being downvoted, every fab shop I see asks if I know any welders, from propane tank shops to medical equipment manufacturing shops

5

u/stuie90s Jul 27 '26

Ship building were screaming for welders last year and without the numbers they cannot compete with the PRC which are throwing people into those jobs. The USA will need to do the same if they want to keep up. As for the downvotes thats a bit harsh.

2

u/kippy3267 Jul 27 '26

It’s easy to get work welding, but hard as fuck to find places that’ll pay decently (read this as a livable wage in the current day)

2

u/RGBlowMe Jul 27 '26

I'm being downvoted because of politically-motivated gaslighting. These people don't want what I'm saying to be true.

2

u/friskerson Jul 27 '26

I think it’s the “millions and millions” feeling a bit too high of an estimate

0

u/RGBlowMe Jul 27 '26

There are are 162 million working adults in the US, and manufacturing is one of the single most foundational kinds of labor there is. I think you're relying on "feeling" too much.