Getting to Know the HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical Workforce in 2026

This report brings together the latest government data on HVAC technicians, plumbers, and electricians in the United States and Canada. U.S. figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections for 2025 to 2035, published in August 2026. Canadian figures come from the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS), run by Employment and Social Development Canada, which covers 2024 to 2033.

U.S. Trades at a Glance

	HVAC technicians	Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	Electricians
Jobs in 2025	440,900	510,600	821,000
Projected growth, 2025 to 2035	11%	7%	9%
Openings per year, on average	40,600	42,000	72,700
Median annual pay, May 2025	$61,010	$63,800	$63,190

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profiles for HVAC technicians, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, and electricians.

BLS projects 3% growth for all occupations over the same period, and it rates all three trades as growing much faster than average.

Where the Openings Come From

The yearly openings are larger than the growth alone would produce. For each of the three trades, BLS states that many openings will come from replacing workers who move to other occupations or leave the workforce, including through retirement.

BLS also lists the main reasons for new demand in each trade:

HVAC: commercial construction, including data centers, residential construction, more complex climate-control systems, and the repair and replacement of existing systems.
Plumbing: new construction and the upkeep and repair of plumbing in existing homes and buildings.
Electrical: new and replacement power systems in buildings, connecting solar and wind generation, and grid upgrades tied to rising electricity demand from data centers

Who Employs Them

Most workers in each trade are employed by specialty contractors.

Trade	Share at contractors	Share self-employed
HVAC technicians	68% at plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors	6%
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	65% at plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors	8%
Electricians	66% at electrical contractors	7%

Working Hours

BLS describes schedules that go beyond regular business hours in all three trades:

HVAC technicians may work evening or weekend shifts, may be on call for emergencies, and sometimes work overtime during peak heating and cooling seasons.
Plumbers often work nights and weekends and are often on call to handle emergencies.
Electricians may work evenings and weekends, and overtime is common.

Contractors with on-call technicians also need a way to answer and route the customer calls that start these after-hours jobs.

Training Time

Each trade takes several years of training before a worker can do the full job on their own, according to BLS:

Most plumbers and electricians learn through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year.
HVAC technicians typically complete a postsecondary program lasting 6 months to 2 years, followed by a long period of on-the-job training.
Most states require plumbers and electricians to be licensed, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires nearly all HVAC technicians to be certified to handle refrigerants.

Canada at a Glance

	Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics	Plumbers	Electricians (except industrial and power system)
COPS outlook, 2024 to 2033	Strong risk of shortage	Moderate risk of shortage	Moderate risk of shortage
Projected job openings, 2024 to 2033	21,800	22,800	56,300
Projected job seekers, 2024 to 2033	21,800	24,000	55,800

Sources: COPS summaries for heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, plumbers, and electricians.

COPS rates each occupation by combining recent labour market conditions with projected openings and job seekers. In all three trades, projected openings and job seekers are close in number. COPS combines those projections with recent conditions to reach each rating. COPS estimates that 93% of heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics and 99% of these electricians work in construction.

How Avidus Supports Trades Contractors

Avidus provides call answering, scheduling, dispatch support, and back office help for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors in the United States and Canada. Our team is based in the Philippines and is trained on your services, service area, and on-call process before taking calls. Agents book jobs into the field service software you already use and route emergencies the way you set.

Estimate Your Cost

If you would like to see what outsourced call answering and office support could cost for your business, the Avidus calculator gives you an estimate.

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