HVAC, plumbing employment growth to lap all-occupation average through 2035: BLS

The HVAC and plumbing workforces are expected to continue growing faster than the average for all occupations across the economy, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.

What’s happening: Every year, around early September, the BLS releases 10-year employment projections and job outlooks for major industries and occupations. 

• This year’s report estimates that employment of HVAC technicians and installers will grow 11 percent from 2025 to 2035, and that employment of plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters will grow seven percent. 
• The figures far outpace the three percent growth the BLS projects for “all occupations” over the decade — and would bring the total number of HVAC techs and installers to 489,100 by 2035, and plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters to 545,200.

Yes, but: The report separately projects around 40,600 annual job openings for HVAC techs and installers over the decade, and about 42,000 annual openings for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters — little changed from the 2024-34 projections. 

• “Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire,” the agency wrote. 

Of note: The BLS accounts for both residential and commercial workers in its projections. It attributed the expected growth to a mix of commercial construction, including data centers; residential construction; the need to maintain and repair plumbing systems in existing residences; and the “growing number of sophisticated climate-control systems.”