9.22.2006

Welding job market continues to be red-hot

If you're a welder today, you're in demand. Welding schools can't churn out enough new welders to meet demand. Want ads feature pages of welding want ads. I've heard commercials on local radio that promise signing bonuses to welders. Articles around the country point to it -- demand is high and supply is low, especially for the kind of salty, experienced hand that can do the job right.

What does this mean to you? Depends on where you are in the cycle. If you're new, it's a great time because jobs will hunt you instead of you hunting them.

Although job growth in the welding profession is slower than average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are plenty of employment opportunities. New recruits are needed to fill positions vacated as the workforce retires, according to the Great Falls Tribune. Welders are paid an average of almost $15 an hour, so the market is good.

If you're a veteran, it's also a time to leverage your experience. You can negotiate at this point. You can get more out of it, and not just in base pay. You can get perks, bonuses, and benefits. If there was a company you always wanted to work for, you can angle into it now.

In all, even with job growth slowing, there are relatively fewer welding guys out there. Take advantage, though -- the pendulum is always swinging.

9.01.2006

Researchers create welding setting algorithm

Researchers at Cardiff University’s Manufacturing Engineering Centre have developed an algorithm to work out the most efficient settings on welding systems and for the design of springs. Researchers claim the algorithm can be used to consider as many as to 3,000 variables, and is faster than existing methods of calculation. See more information over at www.weldingdesign.com.