The skilled labor shortage is not a theoretical problem for those working in plumbing, construction, and other trades — it’s a daily reality. A proprietary model from Associated Builders and Contractors estimates the construction industry will need to attract about 349,000 net new workers in 2026 just to meet demand. That number jumps to 456,000 in 2027 as spending grows.
Plumbing faces particular pressure. New construction, including data centers that can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day, combines with an aging water infrastructure and a growing population. Then there’s the “silver tsunami”: Baby Boomers and early Gen Xers retiring. For every five skilled trade workers who retire, only two younger workers come in to replace them.
A decade of hands-on work
Clayton Deeds, 28, is a journeyman plumber in St. Louis, Missouri, with nearly 10 years in the trade. When reached by phone, he was finishing a tankless water heater install that included a carbon filter and water softener. “We’re taking the two water heaters out, tying the first and second floor together, and making it one complete system,” Deeds said.
His introduction to the trades came from working summers with his father, a mechanic who owned his own shop. Deeds prefers learning by doing. “I went to school for four years, but I didn’t learn nearly as much in the classroom as I did being hands-on in the field,” he said.
After high school he did small engine repair, but the pay was poor. A friend in plumbing suggested he try it. Deeds walked into an interview knowing nothing about plumbing and was offered $6 more per hour than he was making on motorcycles. “It was a no-brainer,” he said.
He was soon thrown into large commercial projects, building retirement homes. Within a year he got his own truck and started doing service calls. “It became a learn-or-burn situation every day.” Deeds learned through formal instruction, but also through social media and online videos — which led him to create his own content. He now has 100,000 Instagram followers, 76,800 on TikTok, and 6,240 on YouTube. “Social media has been really powerful,” he said. “I still learn something every week — a new tip, trick, or tool.”
Currently a lead installer with an apprentice, Deeds likes being able to delegate and prefers installation over service work. “They pretty much leave me alone since I’m the lead. And if I get my work done, I get to go home.” But he’s already thinking about his next move: a Master Plumber license and possibly starting his own shop. “I don’t think I want to stay a journeyman installer for the rest of my career,” he said. “I’m already there at 28, and that’s a long time doing the same work every day.”
Three of the youngest licensed journeymen
Bergen Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Waterloo, Iowa, is an employee-owned company that has made recruitment a priority. The company works with local schools, the state Department of Corrections prisoner rehabilitation program, and the Blackhawk School of Apprenticeship, a state-accredited school that prepares students for the Iowa Journeyman exam. Three recent graduates — Kaiser Neuhaus (19), Caiden Bailey (20), and Cole Kotouc (19) — are among the youngest licensed journeymen in state history.
Related: Dan Beard Council opens skilled trades center in Loveland
Neuhaus decided to skip a college tour at the University of Northern Iowa, walked into the Bergen office, and filled out an application. “The low overhead cost versus college is what appealed to me,” he said. He now does light residential service work, mostly HVAC with some plumbing, and plans to earn dual licensure and eventually a Master’s license.
Bailey grew up on a farm and took industrial tech classes in high school. His friend Neuhaus suggested he check out Bergen. Now he spends much of his time on excavation work, digging up sewers for repair or replacement. “That’s my favorite part of it,” Bailey said.
Kotouc also grew up on a farm and took industrial tech classes. “I was a 16-year-old. I didn’t really know what I was doing,” Kotouc said. “They took me on the next week, and it shaped my life from there.” He now does mostly residential service work. “Some of it’s easy, some of it’s hard, you run into a new thing every single day.”
All three share a goal: buy a home and start a family. Their plumbing careers have made that goal seem achievable.
Loren Gardner, senior operations manager at Bergen, said Neuhaus, Bailey, and Kotouc are outliers — the company’s talent pipeline was built for older applicants. But all three had good heads for the work. Bergen insisted they graduate high school, and partnered with Bailey’s school district to hold him accountable. “He worked full-time with us for four days of the week and on Friday, he would go do all of his book work,” Gardner said. The other 60-some technicians sometimes wondered about having such young team members, but “as they’ve grown and matured, all three of them now get requested.”
A welding champion prepares
Mikala Sposito, 21, a student at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been selected as the official U.S. competitor in Welding for the WorldSkills Competition, scheduled for September 2026 in Shanghai. She is the first woman to represent the United States in welding at WorldSkills. Her journey began at age 10 with a virtual welding demonstration at a Maker Faire. She later won the 2024 SkillsUSA Michigan state championship and secured her spot by winning the USA Weld Trials in Huntsville, Alabama.
CONTRACTOR was unable to interview Sposito, as she is currently focused entirely on competition preparation.
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