The number of jobs for electricians in Nebraska will increase by nearly 17% in the ten-year period ending in 2022 according to the state’s Department of Labor. The construction industry will reach a record level in 2016 and continue to grow in 2017 and 2018 according to the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In fact, construction in the Omaha area is taking place at such a rapid rate that there is a shortage of electricians and other types of skilled workers according to the Omaha World-Herald. As Google invests $400 million to expand its data center in Council Bluffs, labor has become short for other types of construction such as building homes.
Google’s expansion involves about 2,000 construction workers and has no deadline. Contractors and local unions imported skilled labor such as electricians from as far away as California and Connecticut to help with this construction.
Additional big-ticket projects taking place in the Omaha area include:
- $524 million Offutt AFB facility for US Strategic Command
- $323 million cancer center at the Nebraska Medical Center
- $93 million Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital
- $81.6 million arena for the University of Nebraska at Omaha
Salaries for Residential Electricians Throughout Nebraska
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the range of salaries earned by electricians in the major urban and rural areas of Nebraska. Highly skilled master electricians can expect to earn salaries at the highest end of these ranges (2015):
Salaries for Specialty Electricians in Omaha and Lincoln
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salaries for a number of different types of specialized electricians that work in Nebraska’s largest cities (2015). Those with the most education and experience tend to earn salaries at the upper end of the ranges shown here:
Omaha-Council Bluffs:
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Commercial and Industrial Equipment: $50,520 – $62,480
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $50,540 – $67,680
- Electronic Home Equipment Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers: $39,360 – $48,930
- Security and Fire Alarms Systems Installers: $38,210 – $56,620
Lincoln:
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay: $72,510 – $91,050
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $58,950 – $90,460
The statewide average for electricians in these specialized roles is shown in the table below:
Salaries for Electrician Apprentices in Omaha and Rural Central Nebraska
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salary data for the occupational classification for “Electrician’s Helpers” in Omaha-Council Bluffs and the rural central part of Nebraska. Shown below is information that represents the wages earned during an electrical apprenticeship (2015):