In addition to the huge problem of non-working EV chargers, the push to electrification has another major issue: the lack of qualified journeymen electricians for residential and commercial installations.
According to Eric Feinberg, chief workforce officer at Qmerit, which connects installation companies and automakers with skilled electrical professionals, there were 1.2 million electricians identified by the 2000 US Census and just 610,000 in 2020.
“Another issue is that we have states coming in and saying that charger installations have to be inspected and certified, which requires the right type of electrician. That’s a reason we’ve jump-started a program to vet entry-level electricians for contractors, who then pay for their apprenticeship training.”
Right now, any journeyman electrician will have no trouble getting hired.
