Electricity tends to be one of those things people only start thinking about when something goes wrong. Just look at this past February, when a brutal polar vortex surge hit Texas hard and left thousands without power. Suddenly lots of everyday people who had never thought twice about what happened when they hit a light switch were talking about power grids and electrical systems.

Given the latest focus on the electrical industry in the news and in things like congressional infrastructure initiatives, now is a good time to take a look at where we’re at in the year of 2021.

Revenue for the electrician industry hit $185.7 billion in 2020.

That’s hundreds of billions of economic dollars just in the United States — and 2020 wasn’t even the industry’s best year. A lot of this revenue is tied to construction, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of nonresidential construction and industrial production fell slightly, which impacted the electrician business. But growth is expected to tick up again in 2021 by over half a percentage point, and that trend will likely continue as the economy continues to recover and see construction expand once more. Electricians across the country will need to make sure they’re up-to-date on their licensure and continuing education in order to take advantage of it.

Employment of electricians is expected to grow 8%, much faster than average, through 2029.

This is due to a number of different factors, like the need to replace workers who are retiring, increases in construction spending, and the changing energy market. The fact is, though, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that electricians are going to be in-demand over the next several years, and those who can perform a lot of different tasks — like repairing electronic systems and solar photovoltaic installation — are projected to have the best opportunities. The best way for today’s electricians to make the most out of this is to ensure they’re trained in the latest theories, equipment, and technological developments that are shaping the industry through continuing education training and classwork.

Emerging power fields like solar and wind will increasingly need electricians to link them to homes and power grids.

According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, renewable energy is the fastest-growing energy source in the United States and made up more than 17% of the country’s net electricity generation in 2018. But it’s one thing to build a wind energy farm and another to ensure that the power it generates can be linked to homes and power grids and effectively stored for when energy needs peak. The BLS points out that these emerging fields will be strongly in need of trained electricians to help network, connect, store, and innovate in this sector of the industry as it continues to grow.

The electrical industry is changing rapidly as we adjust to our shifting climate and refocus on the importance of infrastructure, and those who will benefit most are those who keep learning and growing through electrician licensing and continuing education courses. At StateCE, you can access fully online continuing education classes that are self-paced and can be completed at your own time, without having to sacrifice days to sitting in a classroom somewhere. Those are days you could out in the field, getting the job done, and we want to help you reclaim that without shortchanging your credits. To find out more, contact StateCE today or give us a call at 877.603.4073.