Which Trade is the Toughest? (2024)

Anyone who knows me well would say that I’m a sucker for a good survey. Especially when it comes to industry surveys and statistics, I’m guilty as charged. I often spend way too much time going down rabbit holes trying to interpret the latest niche data (it could be any topic, really — from electrical safety, renewables, and technology trends to market analysis, labor shortage stats, or construction unemployment figures) in hopes it will spark a story or uncover something useful for EC&M readers. Oftentimes, this leads to a dead end, but occasionally I run across a hidden gem worthy of further investigation. In the consumer world, I admit I even tend to fall for those super gimmicky surveys that play on our extreme high and low emotions. You know the ones — the 10 worst places to live in America, the 10 most rewarding jobs young people should pursue right now, five things you must do to ensure financial success, the worst places to retire. The list goes on and on, and I am almost always guilty of clicking on the bait.

A new survey recently crossed my inbox from CraftJack that immediately caught my attention, probably due to its catchy title: “The Hardest Contractor Jobs in America.” There was no way I wasn’t clicking on that one because let’s be honest … “electrical” contractors had to be the toughest, right? That’s obvious, at least in my mind. Although the premise seemed simple and straightforward, upon further examination, I discovered the results were much more telling than the title suggested because the findings were presented not only from a contractor’s perspective, but also from a consumer’s point of view. The key here is perception. How do contractors view themselves, and what do consumers perceive about certain trades as compared to others? In November 2019, CraftJack surveyed 1,609 contractors and 652 consumers with the goal of determining what type of work was most physically grueling and what trade was the most difficult to learn and master. When it comes to which work was most physically demanding, consumers and contractors were in consensus — roofing and demolition trades topped the list. Electrical came in at 5% with contractor respondents and 3% with consumers. When asked what type of work was most difficult to master (out of 32 different trades), the two groups of respondents (the average age of which was 43 years old) were in agreement again — electrical work was the hardest to master, followed by carpentry, HVAC, and cabinets/countertops. On this question, consumers actually rated electrical contractors higher (38%) than they rated themselves (23%). Looking further into the survey results, I found it interesting to note that the answers to certain questions definitely came down to what audience was being asked. For example, certain contractors identify their own specialty as the most demanding while others downplay the difficulty factor when it comes to self-evaluation. For more details, analysis, and charts that reveal specific trends, read the original report at https://bit.ly/35Qv0bN.

This survey couldn’t help but make me think of EC&M’s recent “2019 Electrical Salary Survey and Career Report,” which was conducted in August 2019 with results published in our October issue. Available at https://bit.ly/2NouLOD, this survey not only presented the most current salary, bonus, and employment statistics, but it also took a deeper look into exactly what keeps electrical professionals up at night — another query that relied heavily on the perception factor. While work-life balance concerns, staffing issues, and the ability to stay on top of emerging standards and technologies seem to be hot button issues, see what other issues are top of mind for most of our readers.

Which Trade is the Toughest? (2024)

FAQs

Which trade is the toughest? ›

What is the most difficult trade? While it might be one of the easier trades to get into, electrical work was found to be the toughest trade to master in a survey conducted by CraftJack. Following that were the trades of carpenters, cabinets/countertops, and HVAC.

What is the hardest physical trade? ›

When it comes to which work was most physically demanding, consumers and contractors were in consensus — roofing and demolition trades topped the list.

Which trade is easiest on your body? ›

It seems that plumbers and electricians have the least physically demanding position, which the trade school degrees provide.

What is the most physically hard trade? ›

A new survey of contractors and consumers found that roofing is perceived as the most physically demanding construction trade, while electrical work seems to be the most difficult to master.

What is the most stressful trade? ›

Warehousing and storage is the most stressful industry in the U.S. scoring 28.92/100. The data found that 93% of workers reported being paid hourly.

What trade is most needed? ›

Below are the different skilled trade jobs currently in demand.
  • Diesel technician. ...
  • Home inspector. ...
  • Plumber. ...
  • Electrician. ...
  • Boilermaker. ...
  • Aircraft mechanic. ...
  • Landscape designer. ...
  • Construction manager.
Apr 18, 2024

What is the happiest job in the world? ›

Event Planner. Event planning is regarded as one of the happiest jobs because it offers the thrill of bringing people together to celebrate the most important moments in their lives. Event planners thrive on creativity, problem-solving, and the excitement of turning visions into reality.

Which trade is easy? ›

Carpentry is one of the easiest trades to learn. It involves constructing and repairing structures made from wood, such as houses, furniture, and other wooden objects. Carpenters typically use hand tools like saws, hammers, chisels, planes and drills to create their projects.

What is the easiest highest paying trade? ›

Plumbing is one of the easiest high-paying trade jobs to get into, as it requires just a high school diploma and no prior experience. That, coupled with a median salary of around $60,000, makes it another vocation for those who want to learn a skill quickly and start earning just as fast.

What trade is the most happy? ›

Happiest Trade Jobs?
  1. Electrician: Electricians enjoy a stable work environment, good pay, and opportunities for advancement. ...
  2. Plumber: Like electricians, plumbers tend to have stable job availability and good pay. ...
  3. HVAC Technician: HVAC technicians work on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
Jan 21, 2024

What trade is the most attractive? ›

It turns out that women felt the biggest spark with the electrician with 132 matches, while the scaffolder came in second with 95.

What trade gives the most money? ›

According to the BLS, the highest-paid skilled trade professionals include construction managers and elevator and escalator installers. These professionals earn median salaries of $104,900 and $102,420 per year, respectively.

Which trade is hardest? ›

What is the hardest trade to learn? Electrical and HVAC trades require intensive technical training, which can be difficult to learn. Electrician schools teach students how to install, maintain, and repair electrical systems.

What trade has the highest injury rate? ›

Civilian occupations with high fatal work injury rates, 2022
OccupationFatal work injury rate (per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)Number of fatal work injuries
Logging workers100.754
Roofers57.5105
Fishing and hunting workers50.916
Helpers, construction trades38.520
8 more rows

What is the most fatal trade? ›

Truck driving and construction are dangerous jobs but logging is the most hazardous
  • #8. ...
  • #7. Refuse and recyclable material collectors.
  • #6. Driver/sales workers and truck drivers.
  • #5. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers.
  • #4. Helpers, construction trades.
  • #3. Fishing and hunting workers.
  • #2. Roofers.
  • #1. Logging workers.
Apr 17, 2024

What is the hardest thing in trading? ›

The most challenging aspect of trading is gaining the qualitative skills. Those that come from experience or time spent in the markets. Being realistic and realising that you are probably just an average trader and that's okay. It's about learning how to keep going even when your account experiences a few losses.

Which is the easiest trade to learn? ›

Plumbing is another trade that can be relatively easy for someone to learn without a lot of formal education or experience. Plumbers install pipes and fixtures used for water distribution and waste disposal systems in homes and businesses. They also repair existing plumbing systems when needed.

What is the easiest type of trading? ›

Momentum trading is one of the easiest types of trade in the stock market. Traders in this trading strategy must predict a stock's movement to identify the right time to enter or exit. The right time to exit is when a stock is expected to break out. Conversely, the right time to buy a stock is when the price is low.

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