Just found out the average age of a boilermaker is 57 in the LA local

I was looking through some union stats online last night and saw that the average age for boilermakers in Local 37 LA is 57 years old. That really surprised me because most guys on my crew are under 40. It makes me wonder how many experienced hands are gonna retire in the next 10 years... Has anyone else noticed a big age gap on their sites?

3 comments

3 Comments

walker.julia14d ago

Well I can tell you right now that local down here in San Diego is pretty similar. I remember working a shutdown at the power plant a few years back and the oldest guy on my crew was 68 and still climbing boilers like he was 30. Out of maybe 20 guys, I think only 3 or 4 of us were under 45. The rest of them had been in the trade since the 80s and they were all talking about hanging it up within 5 years. It does make you wonder who is going to take their place with all the younger workers not wanting to travel or do the heavy welding anymore.

olivermason14d ago

The whole "young guys don't want to work" thing misses a bigger point nobody's talking about. Back when those old timers started in the 80s, a guy could buy a house on a single income and raise a family with just a high school diploma. These days, a journeyman's check doesn't stretch near as far when rent is $2,500 a month in San Diego. Plus the work itself changed too - it's gotten more intense with tighter deadlines and less downtime between shutdowns. Hard to blame a 25 year old for looking at a 40 year career of that and saying no thanks.

the_alex14d ago

Gotta disagree @walker.julia, the young guys I know are hungry for that money.