Just found out the average age of a working boilermaker is 57 years old

I was looking at some BLS stats last night and that number stopped me cold. Half the guys I work with are within 10 years of retirement, and there's barely any young blood coming in. How are we supposed to pass down the tricky stuff like tube sheet repairs and old-school rivet patterns if nobody sticks around?

2 comments

2 Comments

ramirez.sage10h ago

Man, that stat is wild but it actually makes me wonder about the insurance side of things too. Like, are companies even gonna keep insuring a trade that's basically all old timers with bad backs and knees? Sounds like a ticking clock nobody's talking about.

aaron6779h agoMost Upvoted

My buddy Dave has been a union roofer for like 25 years and he's had two knee replacements already, not even 50 yet. I mean, the insurance thing is a real worry because these guys aren't exactly young and healthy when they start, you know? It feels like the whole system is just waiting for one big claim to blow up and then premiums go through the roof for everyone. Idk, it just seems like nobody in charge wants to talk about how this trade is literally breaking people's bodies faster than they can replace them. Sorry, I know that's a bummer of a take, but it's been on my mind too.