Key Issues
Nuclear Industry's Comprehensive Approach Develops Skilled Work Force for the Future
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Nuclear Power Plants Offer High-Paying Jobs
Today, the typical nuclear plant employs 400 to 700 people, and jobs at these plants pay substantially more than average salaries in the local area. For example, the median salary for an electrical technician at a nuclear power plant is $67,517; for a mechanical technician, $66,581; and for a reactor operator, $77,782.
These jobs commonly include family medical benefits, pensions and incentive compensation plans.
To maintain the current nuclear work force, the industry may need to hire as many as 25,000 more workers in the next five years.
In addition to meeting the work force needs at existing nuclear facilities, each new reactor will employ 1,400 to 1,800 people during construction, with peak employment of up to 2,800 individuals. These jobs include skilled trades, such as welders, pipe fitters, masons, carpenters, millwrights, sheet metal workers, electricians and heavy equipment operators. During operation, new reactors typically have a highly skilled work force of 400 to 700 employees.
Industry Responds With Multi-Pronged Approach
The industry is responding to these work force trends collaboratively with organized labor, government, educational institutions and non-profit organizations. These collaborations have yielded positive results from development of national demand projections for technicians, plant operators and engineers to increasing awareness of nuclear careers among teachers, students and work force development professionals.
The industry also is enhancing recruitment efforts, increasing the number of new hires in several disciplines and targeting untapped labor pools like veterans and minorities. Further, the industry has fostered development of curricula and new educational programs and deployed staff as instructors at community colleges to expand local talent pools.
Utilities also have turned to policymakers at the national, regional and local levels to increase career awareness and to leverage public/private efforts in its work force development.
In addition, industry has begun a systematic engagement of the public work force and education systems to ensure that the energy and construction sectors are viewed as a priority in state-based work force development and educational programs.
Nuclear Power Plants Offer High-Paying Jobs
Today, the typical nuclear plant employs 400 to 700 people, and jobs at these plants pay substantially more than average salaries in the local area. For example, the median salary for an electrical technician at a nuclear power plant is $67,517; for a mechanical technician, $66,581; and for a reactor operator, $77,782.
These jobs commonly include family medical benefits, pensions and incentive compensation plans.
To maintain the current nuclear work force, the industry may need to hire as many as 25,000 more workers in the next five years.
In addition to meeting the work force needs at existing nuclear facilities, each new reactor will employ 1,400 to 1,800 people during construction, with peak employment of up to 2,800 individuals. These jobs include skilled trades, such as welders, pipe fitters, masons, carpenters, millwrights, sheet metal workers, electricians and heavy equipment operators. During operation, new reactors typically have a highly skilled work force of 400 to 700 employees.
Industry Responds With Multi-Pronged Approach
The industry is responding to these work force trends collaboratively with organized labor, government, educational institutions and non-profit organizations. These collaborations have yielded positive results from development of national demand projections for technicians, plant operators and engineers to increasing awareness of nuclear careers among teachers, students and work force development professionals.
The industry also is enhancing recruitment efforts, increasing the number of new hires in several disciplines and targeting untapped labor pools like veterans and minorities. Further, the industry has fostered development of curricula and new educational programs and deployed staff as instructors at community colleges to expand local talent pools.
Utilities also have turned to policymakers at the national, regional and local levels to increase career awareness and to leverage public/private efforts in its work force development.
In addition, industry has begun a systematic engagement of the public work force and education systems to ensure that the energy and construction sectors are viewed as a priority in state-based work force development and educational programs.
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