Craft labor insights in Atlanta
Every week, thousands of craft professionals across the U.S. join the Skillit platform to connect with the nation’s best and biggest general and specialty trade contractors. This generates millions of proprietary data points which we anonymize and structure into labor intelligence to help decision-makers gain a competitive edge in a tight labor market.
Key Findings
Base pay in Atlanta tracks strongly to the national average
On average, craft workers desire a $1.79 increase in hourly pay, 0.6X that of their peers nationally.
Atlanta craft workers’ skill assessment scores are 3 points lower than the national average.
2.88% of Atlanta craft workers hold an OSHA 62 certification, 1.4X the national average.
The top five employers of craft workers in Atlanta include Brasfield & Gorrie, McCarthy and Walmart and employ 45% of the labor market.
63% of Atlanta craft workers report being authorized to work in the U.S., 0.93X the national average of 68%.
Women make up 4.3% of the craft workforce in Atlanta, below than the national average of 5%.
10.5% of Atlanta craft workers prefer to communicate in Spanish, compared to 11.4% nationally.
Union membership among Atlanta craft workers is 11.8%, comparable to the national average.
Recruiters in Atlanta have a 5% lower connection rate by phone and on average it takes 3 more outreach attempts to connect with a craft worker compared to the national average.
Atlanta craft workers have an average one-way commute distance that is 20 miles longer than the national average, contributing to potential job dissatisfaction.
Current craft pay in Atlanta
Atlanta’s craft worker wages are largely competitive with the national average, with slight variations depending on the trade. For construction employers in Atlanta, maintaining competitive pay—especially in roles where Atlanta lags slightly behind—may be key to attracting and retaining top talent.
Electricians and Laborers in Atlanta are paid more than the national average. Electricians in Atlanta earn $29.13/hour, compared to $29.36/hour nationally, and Laborers earn $24.43/hour, slightly above the national $24.11/hour.
Concrete Workers in Atlanta also see slightly higher wages ($26.27/hour) compared to the national average ($25.94/hour).
For Carpenters, HEOs (Heavy Equipment Operators), and Pipefitters, the national average exceeds Atlanta’s hourly wages. For example, Carpenters nationally earn $26.93/hour versus $26.72/hour in Atlanta.
Welders show a national pay of $28.66/hour, while in Atlanta it’s $28.30/hour.
Drywallers, Plumbers, and Pipelayers show very close pay rates between Atlanta and the national average, with differences typically within $0.50/hour. This suggests these trades are seeing a more standardized pay rate across regions.
Across most trades, the pay difference between Atlanta and the national average is minimal, indicating that Atlanta’s labor market is fairly aligned with the national averages for craft workers. However, Atlanta is slightly below the national average in a few areas, particularly for highly skilled trades like Welders and Pipefitters.
Craft pay expectations in Atlanta
Craft workers in Atlanta have slightly lower overall desired pay compared to national averages, particularly for trades like Electricians, Carpenters, and Plumbers. However, some trades like Laborers and Concrete Workers are more aligned with national pay expectations.
Electricians in Atlanta are requesting lower hourly pay compared to the national average: $31.89 vs. $32.73. This indicates that while electricians are a high-demand trade, they may have slightly lower pay expectations in Atlanta.
Carpenters in Atlanta have a lower desired pay of $28.48/hour, compared to the national average of $29.72/hour. This is a notable gap, indicating that carpenters in Atlanta might be more willing to accept lower pay than the national average.
Concrete Workers in Atlanta desire $25.52/hour, close to the national average of $25.74/hour.
Laborers in Atlanta are also quite close, requesting $28.00/hour, compared to $28.07/hour nationally. This suggests these roles have aligned pay expectations regardless of location.
Nationally, Plumbers and Welders have higher desired pay than those in Atlanta. Plumbers nationally desire $31.60/hour, while in Atlanta they are seeking $29.11/hour. Similarly, Welders nationally expect $32.06/hour compared to $30.44/hour in Atlanta.
HEOs in Atlanta expect a slightly lower hourly rate ($29.41/hour) than their national counterparts ($29.98/hour), but the gap is minimal.
For Pipelayers, there is little difference between Atlanta and national desired pay, with Atlanta workers expecting $29.93/hour, while nationally the desired rate is $30.66/hour.
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Craft compensation flexibility in Atlanta
Craft workers in Atlanta, particularly in trades like Pipelayers, Electricians, and Laborers, are more likely to be open to accepting lower pay for the right job compared to national averages. This could provide opportunities for employers to negotiate compensation based on job conditions rather than purely on wages. However, certain trades like Welders and Plumbers are less likely to compromise, both in Atlanta and nationally.
Across several trades, craft workers in Atlanta are more willing to accept lower pay for the right job compared to their national counterparts. This is especially notable for Pipefitters and Pipelayers, where 43% of Pipelayers in Atlanta are open to lower pay versus 33% nationally.
Electricians and Laborers in Atlanta are also more willing to accept lower pay at 24% and 23%, compared to 15% and 21% nationally, respectively.
Pipelayers in Atlanta show the largest gap, with 43% willing to accept lower pay, a significant difference compared to the national average of 33%. This suggests there could be less pressure on pay expectations in this trade in Atlanta.
Nationally, most trades have fewer workers willing to accept lower pay, with Electricians and Plumbers showing the least flexibility, at 15% and 17%, respectively. This highlights a stronger desire to maintain expected compensation levels across regions.
For Pipefitters, there is an even 33% of workers both nationally and in Atlanta who would accept lower pay for the right job. This suggests similar pay flexibility across this trade.
Plumbers, Welders, and HEOs (Heavy Equipment Operators) in Atlanta are less likely to accept lower pay than other trades. For Plumbers, the rate is 21%, while nationally it is 17%, indicating some flexibility but less willingness compared to other roles.
Non-financial compensation trends
Training & Upskilling and Benefits are the dominant non-financial motivators for craft workers in Atlanta across nearly all trades. Employers looking to attract or retain talent should prioritize offering comprehensive training programs and robust benefits packages. Additionally, while Career Mobility remains important, the low prioritization of Women-Friendly environments suggests that there may be an opportunity to enhance inclusivity efforts, particularly for hiring more women into these roles.
Across most trades, Training & Upskilling is the leading non-financial motivator for craft workers, consistently around the 40% mark. This highlights the high value workers place on opportunities for personal and professional development, regardless of their trade. It’s particularly significant for trades like Carpenters, Drywallers, and Welders.
Benefits (represented by the orange triangles) also rank highly as a motivating factor, often closely following Training & Upskilling, fluctuating between 30-40% across the trades. Concrete Workers and Pipefitters show the highest emphasis on benefits, which suggests that strong benefits packages can play a critical role in attracting these workers.
Career Mobility (indicated by the blue diamonds) is a moderate factor, with 20-25% of craft workers in all trades valuing the opportunity for upward movement or progression. This consistency suggests that while it’s not the top motivator, career advancement remains a significant consideration.
Women-Friendly environments (represented by the red circles) rank quite low as a motivator, staying under 10% across most trades. While still important, it appears to be a lesser priority for the overall workforce. However, this metric may be more critical in certain contexts or for specific hiring initiatives aimed at improving gender diversity in the trades.
While most non-financial motivators are fairly consistent across trades, Pipefitters and Pipelayers seem to have slightly higher values for both Benefits and Training & Upskilling, indicating these trades may be particularly responsive to those incentives.
Meet Atlanta’s biggest employers of craft labor
Our data reveals that Brasfield & Gorrie is the most prominent employer in Atlanta with carpenters, electricians, concrete, workers, heavy equipment operators, drywallers, plumbers, pipefitters and pipelayers all citing it as a past or current employer.
Founded in 1964 in Birmingham, Alabama the company has grown to become one of the largest privately-held construction firms in the U.S.
Known for its strong safety culture, investment in the training and development of its craft workforce and community engagement, Brasfield & Gorrie is a standout employer for craft labor in Atlanta and the construction industry.
Work authorization
Atlanta shows strong work authorization in specific trades like electricians, plumbers, welders, pipefitters and pipelayers, while carpenters, laborers and concrete workers lag significantly behind their national counterparts.
Gender and language
The share of craft workers citing Spanish as their preferred language in Atlanta is generally in line with national averages. When it comes to female representation however, Atlanta varies significantly across trades. Laborers ad welders in Atlanta have a much higher share of female workers at 8.0% and 7% compared to the national average of 6% and 4.3%. However, some trades, such as electricians and pipelayers, show lower female participation in Atlanta, with 2.6% and 3.2% compared to 4.2% and 7.2% nationally.
Contactability and communication
Recruiters in Atlanta face higher outreach demands when connecting with craft workers compared to the national average. While the connection rate is nearly identical to the national average at around 50%, it takes more effort to establish that connection. Atlanta recruiters need about 4-5 outreaches via calls, SMS, or email—twice as many as the national average. Additionally, the response time for craft workers in Atlanta is notably slower, averaging around 6 days, compared to the national average of about 3 days.
Union membership
Welders Have the Highest Union Membership in Atlanta: Welders in Atlanta have the highest union membership rate at 14.8%, surpassing the national rate of 13.4%. This makes welding the craft with the strongest union presence in the Atlanta area.
Laborers in Atlanta Are Significantly Less Unionized Than Nationally: In Atlanta, only 9% of laborers are union members, compared to 11.9% nationally.
One-way commute distance
Welders in Atlanta have the longest one-way commute of 38.83 miles, while HEOs follow closely with 32.83 miles, both significantly higher than the national average. Laborers in Atlanta commute an average of 26.33 miles, which is the shortest among the trades in Atlanta, but still well above the national average across all trades.
Migration
Our migration insights reveal that trades like welders and HEOs not only exhibit a high willingness to relocate to Atlanta but also have a significantly larger pool of external talent compared to the local supply. 61% of welders are willing to relocate, the highest among all trades, while carpenters show the lowest interest at 41%. Pipefitters (55%) and plumbers (56%) also show above-average interest, while electricians (46%) and laborers (47%) are less inclined.
HEOs and welders lead in relocation potential, with HEOs 1.87X more likely and welders 1.85X more likely to relocate compared to the local supply. This indicates a strong external workforce eager to move to Atlanta, potentially outpacing local availability. Across all trades, most show a higher willingness to relocate, with pipefitters (1.75X) and pipelayers (1.77X) also demonstrating significant external interest.
The majority of craft workers willing to relocate to Atlanta are from nearby southeastern states, with Florida leading the way by a significant margin. This regional interest could be leveraged in targeted recruitment efforts.
OSHA
Atlanta shows higher OSHA certification rates for welders and drywallers, especially among OSHA 30 and 62, while some trades, like electricians and laborers, lag behind national averages across different OSHA certification levels.
Skillit’s craft labor database growth
Atlanta led the monthly growth in Skillit’s database of craft workers from July to August 2024, with a 12% increase, sprinting ahead of other cities. San Antonio, TX followed at 10%, while Dallas and Houston saw growth of 9% and 8%, respectively. In contrast, cities like Tampa and Miami experienced slower growth, around 4-5%. This highlights Atlanta’s strong craft worker engagement and recruitment compared to other major markets.
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Our methodology
All data included in this report is as of August 30, 2024 and based on the anonymized data from over 20,000 Skillit worker profiles located in, or interested in relocating to, Atlanta and 12 months of communications between employers and craft workers aggregated across the Skillit platform.
