Skilled Trades Jobs in Philadelphia, PA

SEPTA alone is hiring first-class electricians, plumbers and HVAC specialists at $37 to $44 an hour, and Philadelphia licenses its own plumbers and electrical contractors. The guides below cover every skilled trades role in Philadelphia, who is hiring, how to get licensed and what it pays.

Electrician Jobs HVAC Technician Jobs Plumber Jobs

Why Skilled Trades Work Is Different in Philadelphia

Philadelphia's trades market leans heavily on maintenance. The biggest steady employers are not builders but the institutions that keep an old city running: SEPTA's Building Trades department and rail shops, Amtrak around 30th Street Station, Philadelphia Gas Works' distribution crews, the School District's maintenance plumbers, and the in-house trades staffs at Penn, Drexel and Jefferson in University City and Center City. Commercial towers along Market Street add building engineers and HVAC techs through firms like Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE, while residential service companies work the rowhouse neighborhoods from Germantown to South Philly and the Northeast.

The city also sets its own rules. Pennsylvania has no statewide electrician, plumber or HVAC license, but Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections licenses plumbers at three levels, issues an Electrical Contractor License, licenses sheet metal technicians and apprentices, and requires every worker on a construction or demolition site to hold an OSHA 10 card. On the union side, the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council represents more than 50 local unions, and the big apprenticeships (IBEW Local 98, Steamfitters Local 420, Plumbers Local 690, Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 and the Laborers' District Council) train in the city itself. Across the Philadelphia Metropolitan Division, construction and extraction workers averaged $35.04 an hour in the state's May 2025 wage data.

Top Skilled Trades Employers in Philadelphia

These employers had trades openings in Philadelphia on their own careers sites this year:

  • SEPTA - the transit authority hires first-class electricians, plumbers, vehicle HVAC specialists and electrical maintainers with pay steps after 12 months.
  • Philadelphia Gas Works - the city-owned gas utility hires distribution laborers and service technician helpers with a pension and tuition assistance.
  • University of Pennsylvania - Penn's facilities and real estate services group posts electrician and plumber jobs in University City.
  • Jefferson Health - the health system hires electricians and plumbers for its Philadelphia hospitals.
  • School District of Philadelphia - the district hires licensed plumbers to maintain schools citywide.
  • Cushman & Wakefield - the property services firm staffs HVAC technicians in Center City office buildings.
  • GEN3 Electric & HVAC - the residential contractor hires apprentice and lead electricians, HVAC service techs and installers.

Skilled Trades Career Paths in Philadelphia

  • Electrical - Electrician. The route runs through an apprenticeship to journeyman work, and after four years to the city's Electrical Contractor License.
  • Mechanical and piping - HVAC Technician, Plumber and Sheet Metal Worker. These trades are the most tightly licensed in the city, with plumbing and sheet metal cards issued by L&I and EPA 608 certification for refrigerant work.
  • Building and site work - Construction Laborer, Carpenter, Concrete Finisher, Mason, Roofer, Glazier and Painter. These are the fastest entry points, usually starting with OSHA 10 and a laborer or helper job.
  • Metal fabrication - Welder. Shop and structural welding feed both construction and industrial employers.

Guides for each role are added to the grid above as they are published.

How to Start a Skilled Trades Career in Philadelphia

  • OSHA 10 Construction card - required for every worker on a Philadelphia construction or demolition site, with fines of $1,000 per worker without one.
  • Philadelphia plumbing licenses - Plumber Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber (four years as a registered apprentice plus an ICC exam) and Master Plumber, all from L&I.
  • Philadelphia Electrical Contractor License - four years of electrical work, the Philadelphia Electrical Contractor Examination and 8 hours of code training; the city has no journeyman electrician license.
  • EPA Section 608 certification - federal requirement for anyone servicing equipment that holds refrigerant.
  • Union apprenticeships - IBEW Local 98 through Apprentice Training for the Electrical Industry at 1719 Spring Garden Street; Steamfitters Local 420 on Townsend Road, taking applications through October 31, 2026; the Laborers' District Council training center at 1333 North Broad Street.
  • Orleans Technical College - 2770 Red Lion Road in the Northeast, with 8-month day programs in electricity, carpentry, plumbing and heating, and AC and refrigeration.

OSHA 10 on construction sites, the city plumbing licenses for plumbing work, sheet metal licenses for ductwork and EPA 608 for refrigerants are legal requirements; apprenticeships, trade school certificates and prior experience are employer preferences that decide who gets hired.

Skilled Trades Salaries in Philadelphia

  • Entry - about $20 to $26 an hour for helpers, laborers and apprentices; PGW's distribution laborers start at $20.97 and the state's entry-level average for construction laborers is $43,750 a year.
  • Mid - roughly $30 to $42 an hour for journeyman electricians, plumbers, carpenters and HVAC techs, where SEPTA's $37 to $44 trades pay sits.
  • Senior - around $48 to $50 an hour for foremen, supervisors and top journeymen; construction trade supervisors average $48.67 an hour in the area.

These are estimates from Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry data for the Philadelphia Metropolitan Division (May 2025) and current postings. Public and institutional employers like SEPTA, PGW and the universities pay steady hourly rates with pensions and full benefits; residential service companies add bonuses and commission; union apprentices start at a share of the journey rate and step up each year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which trades need a license in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia licenses plumbers at the apprentice, journeyman and master levels, sheet metal technicians and apprentices, and electrical contractors. Pennsylvania itself has no statewide license for electricians, plumbers or HVAC technicians. HVAC techs also need federal EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerants.

Do I need OSHA 10 to work construction in Philadelphia?

Yes. City law requires every worker on a construction or demolition site to complete OSHA 10 Construction training, and L&I can fine $1,000 per worker without it. Major building sites also need a person with OSHA 30 training on site whenever work is underway.

How much do skilled trades workers make in Philadelphia?

Construction and extraction workers in the Philadelphia area averaged $35.04 an hour in May 2025. Plumbers and sheet metal workers averaged about $42 an hour, electricians about $40, and construction laborers about $29. SEPTA's current trades postings pay $37 to $44 an hour.

How do I get into a union apprenticeship in Philadelphia?

Each union runs its own application window. IBEW Local 98 takes applications in the first two full weeks of April, Steamfitters Local 420 is taking them through October 31, 2026, and Plumbers Local 690 is not taking applications in 2026. The Laborers' District Council takes applications in person during announced periods.

Are there pre-apprenticeship programs in Philadelphia?

Yes. The Samuel Staten Sr. Pre-Apprenticeship Program on North Watts Street prepares adults 18 and older for construction apprenticeships, the Philadelphia Housing Authority runs an 8-week pre-apprenticeship boot camp for its residents, and Philadelphia Works runs a program for women entering nontraditional careers.

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