Bruce Vernyi, editor-in-chief e-mail: bvernyi@penton.com

The welding industry appears to be in an enviable position as we prepare for its largest annual trade show, the FabTech International and AWS Welding Show 2007.

Many welding shops are seeing regular – if not record – orders, filling their production floors and their pipelines with work; and the prospects are good for this wave of work to continue into 2008 and beyond.

The current flow of work has come as a result of a long period of economic growth in the United States – coupled with need for materials for the war in Iraq, and the demand for products to support the exploration and development of energy resources.

While you can find economists who predict gloom and doom next year, it’s even easier to find those who remain optimistic.

According to the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, economic growth is expected to be slightly better in 2008 (3 percent) than this year (2.3 percent) – even though new housing starts and consumer spending might be off slightly. In addition, spending for the war and for energy exploration/ production are likely to continue and rise.

With that good outlook, there is the pending growth expected from renewed building of electrical power plants throughout the U.S. over the next few years. Don’t forget the need to rebuild much of our domestic infrastructure, such as bridges and pipelines.

So prospects are good.

In fact, there only seems to be one dark spot right now: finding the skilled people who can do the work that will be needed to get these projects done.

The demand for skilled workers is well documented, and it’s a desperate problem in many parts of the U.S. economy – not just welding. Many industrial and commercial businesses are competing for skilled workers; they are developing their own training programs and partnering with educational institutions to create potential workers who show interest.

The welding industry has a great tradition, through its own specialized institutions and programs, of providing the specific education needed to get the job done. The number of these programs is growing.

It’s a sure bet that their graduates will be in demand over the coming years and, with the need outstripping the supply, that they’ll be able to look forward to a good standard of living over the course of their careers.

When you combine the prospects for a good life with the satisfaction that comes from seeing work move to completion under your own hands makes it good to be a welder.