Episode
300,000 Welders Short and It's Getting Worse
- Published
- Mar 24, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2041
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-lost-art-of-the-skilled-trades-6923648/episodes/300-000-welders-short-and-it-s-getting-worse/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lost-art-of-the-skilled-trades-6923648/300-000-welders-short-and-it-s-getting-worse.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
The welder shortage has never improved in 30 years. Kris Scherm of ESAB explains why — and what it will take to fix the pipeline. When Kris Scherm entered the welding industry in the nineties, the American Welding Society reported a 150,000 welder shortage. Three decades later, that number is projected at 320,500 by 2029 — and it has never once gotten smaller. With the average shipbuilder now in their late 50s, the pipeline problem is about to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. Kris Scherm is a 30-year veteran of the welding industry and Global Product and Business Director for Light Industrial Plasma at ESAB — one of the world's leading welding and cutting companies. He's worked at the Bay Bridge, SpaceX facilities, Ford manufacturing plants, Newport News Shipbuilding, and dozens of facilities across North America. This conversation was recorded live at ESAB in Denton, Texas. This episode is for anyone who works in the skilled trades, leads a manufacturing or welding operation, or is trying to figure out how to attract the next generation to a career with their hands. Kris breaks down the workforce crisis, the Blue Collar Tour bringing welding to high schools, and why — once you realize how much welding holds the world together — you'll never walk anywhere the same way again. IN THIS EPISODE (00:00) – Introduction: Andrew and Kris open live from ESAB in Denton, Texas, where Kris shares how a Norwegian grandfather who built PT boats in WWII set him on a lifelong path in the trades. (00:04) – Why Welding Captures You: Kris explains what makes welding unlike any other trade — and why "if you can weld, you're a demigod" who can join metal in ways no hammer and nail ever could. (00:09) – The 300,000 Welder Shortage: The AWS shortage number has never improved in 3…