So far this year, we are seeing what is commonly referred to as, the domino effect. Wikipedia’s definition; “a domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events”.
Think of a row of dominoes all set up standing on end, each domino has a name; construction, transportation, welding, public sector, private sector etc.. What we are experiencing in 2021 will only get more challenging next year, it is a cumulative labor issue where this shortage of people is causing a ripple effect that can’t be stopped.
Some industries such as a fabrication shop supporting businesses in energy, oil & gas, shipbuilding, offshore and heavy industrial contracting are trying to solve this challenge, where there is a real labor shortage as we’ve written about previously. Highly skilled welding professionals are hard to find, however a shop’s top welders can now be effectively applied to manual processes where higher skill is required. This helps to alleviate labor pressure and allows shops to hire more available lesser skilled welders who can be assigned to collaborative welding robot tasks producing a perfect quality weld.
The Associated Builders and Contractors just released concerning news that supports this ongoing labor challenge noting “there is ongoing labor market dysfunctions, including an inordinate level of difficulty finding workers”. Not only are labor challenges impacting businesses, contractors are also experiencing upward wage pressure as workers can almost demand the wage they want by playing employment opportunities off against each other.
In the mix for the welding world we know an SWR makes sense and will deliver an ROI, so it’s time to connect and start the conversation and allow your fabrication shop to be future proof for the long-term labor shortage.