Welder
$63,480 earning potential
Welders fuse and cut metal materials. They can work in several different industries, so welders might build structures or repair existing infrastructure. Welders are employed in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding, and oil and gas.
$63,480
High-end Earners in
BPBP North Carolina ( Top 10% )
$47,200
median annual wage
$23
median hourly wage
Responsibilities
- Utilize welding machines to cut or fuse metals such as aluminum or steel
- Understand blueprints and calculate dimensions and specifications for the welds
- Safely clean, set up and maintain the equipment
- Supervise the process to prevent overheating
- Ignite torches or start power supplies
- Examine products to find defects and to rework defective parts
- Lay out, position, align, and secure parts and assemblies before assembling them, using straightedges, combination squares, calipers, and rulers
- Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment
- Inspect structures or materials to be welded
BPBP North Carolina Job Outlook
1,763
Average annual job openings
14,069
Number of jobs by 2028
1%
Expected growth from
2025 to 2028
2025 to 2028