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How to hire an industrial electrician

Industrial electrician hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring industrial electricians in the United States:

  • There are currently 149,439 industrial electricians in the US, as well as 23,963 job openings.
  • Industrial electricians are in the highest demand in Tonawanda, NY, with 7 current job openings.
  • The median cost to hire an industrial electrician is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new industrial electrician to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an industrial electrician, step by step

To hire an industrial electrician, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire an industrial electrician, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step industrial electrician hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write an industrial electrician job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new industrial electrician
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an industrial electrician do?

An Industrial Electrician installs, maintains, and repairs electrical systems in industrial facilities. They are usually part of a construction team to put in and check new equipment and systems.

Learn more about the specifics of what an industrial electrician does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the industrial electrician you need to hire. Certain industrial electrician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an industrial electrician to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an industrial electrician that fits the bill.

    The following list breaks down different types of industrial electricians and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Industrial ElectricianDescriptionHourly rate
    Industrial ElectricianElectricians install, maintain, and repair electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and factories.$22-39
    ApprenticeAn apprentice is responsible for learning specialized tasks on their chosen field through actual job training under the supervision of tenured staff. An apprentice's duties include performing administrative tasks as needed, creating observation reports of daily operations, providing possible recommendations on improving productivity, and adhering to the business' safety standards and regulatory procedures... Show more$12-24
    Electrical Maintenance TechnicianAn electrical maintenance technician is primarily in charge of installing and repairing electrical systems. Their responsibilities often revolve around liaising with clients to identify their needs, examining electrical damages or defects on houses or establishments, troubleshooting, and performing fixes and replacements as needed... Show more$22-36
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Electrical Equipment
    • Hand Tools
    • Ac
    • Dc
    • Test Equipment
    • Industrial Maintenance
    • Transformers
    • Preventive Maintenance
    • Ladders
    • Electrical Components
    • Switches
    • Allen-Bradley
    • PLC
    • OSHA
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Lead team to retrofit outdate piece of CNC machinery to allow usage for production personnel on a new design part.
    • Install electrical services ranging from 480 volts ac to 24 volts dc.
    • Include the installation of EMT and rigid conduit for branch circuits, fire alarm systems and motor control circuits.
    • Job responsibilities include running conduit wiring transformers and terminating PLC cabinets.
    • Work with voltages ranging from 24 vdc to 2300 vac.
    • Maintain both A/C and D/C main power generation systems.
    More industrial electrician duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your industrial electrician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An industrial electrician can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, industrial electricians' average salary in florida is 46% less than in vermont.
    • Seniority. Entry-level industrial electricians 43% less than senior-level industrial electricians.
    • Certifications. An industrial electrician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an industrial electrician's salary.

    Average industrial electrician salary

    $62,533yearly

    $30.06 hourly rate

    Entry-level industrial electrician salary
    $47,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 18, 2026

    Average industrial electrician salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Minnesota$78,207$38
    2California$78,158$38
    3Wisconsin$69,943$34
    4Rhode Island$69,300$33
    5New York$66,145$32
    6Indiana$65,395$31
    7Missouri$64,161$31
    8Maryland$63,558$31
    9Pennsylvania$62,689$30
    10Ohio$62,644$30
    11Illinois$61,569$30
    12Colorado$60,427$29
    13Virginia$55,786$27
    14Georgia$55,764$27
    15Arizona$53,594$26
    16North Carolina$51,598$25
    17Tennessee$51,348$25
    18Texas$46,946$23
    19Florida$45,938$22
    20Oklahoma$45,651$22

    Average industrial electrician salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1The Washington Post$87,688$42.161
    2California Resources$80,241$38.58
    3Arkema$77,401$37.211
    4City of San Jos$76,127$36.601
    5Anheuser-Busch$75,955$36.5230
    6Santa Clara Valley Water District$75,922$36.50
    7Westinghouse Appliances Australia$74,906$36.019
    8Grimco$74,837$35.98
    9CertainTeed$74,146$35.65
    10Eastman$73,835$35.50
    11Navistar$73,785$35.472
    12Volvo Trucks$73,664$35.422
    13Tesla$73,639$35.402
    14ACCO Brands$73,256$35.221
    15Heidelberg Usa, Inc.$73,220$35.203
    16BASF$73,210$35.201
    17Toyota Forklifts$72,392$34.80
    18Kohler Co.$72,075$34.653
    19Gillette$72,065$34.65
    20ATI Physical Therapy$71,173$34.225
  4. Writing an industrial electrician job description

    An industrial electrician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an industrial electrician job description:

    Industrial electrician job description example

    ATI is seeking an Electrical Maintenance Technician/ Industrial Electrician to join ATI's Forged Products team in Cudahy, Wisconsin in the Greater Milwaukee Area. In this position, your primary responsibility will be to troubleshoot, maintain, test and repair electrically powered or controlled electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic machines, systems and components. The Electrical Maintenance Technician/ Industrial Electrician is part of a highly skilled team that is critical to ensuring equipment is operational in order to consistently meet our customers' needs. After spending 180 days training and learning our equipment and systems, a successful Electrical Maintenance Technician/ Industrial Electrician may become a specialist in one area of the facility. As part of the union environment, the shift will be determined. As union seniority is gained, there may be opportunity to bid onto other shifts. In order to ensure proper maintenance support, you may be asked to provide weekend on-site production support on a rotating schedule. Overtime work is not mandatory but can be accepted or refused by the Electrical Maintenance Technician/ Industrial Electrician. The initial approximately six-month training period for this position will be spent primarily on first shift but will include second and third shift.

    Essential Functions:

    • Lay out and install complex wiring circuits in conformance to established codes.
    • Diagnose and remedy electrical troubles, repair and replace electrical components.
    • Read and interpret equipment manuals to perform required maintenance and service.
    • Diagnose problems, repair or replace equipment, components, wiring, or circuitry.
    • Provide emergency repairs to production equipment.
    • Work from wiring diagrams, schematic drawings, PLC logic, CNC programs, and electrical code book; use all required electrical measuring and testing devices.

    *It is ATI's policy to not provide immigration sponsorship for any of the company's positions.

    ATI and its subsidiary companies will provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to applicant's race, color, religion, sex, gender, genetic information, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other status protected be federal or state law. The company will provide reasonable accommodations to allow an applicant to participate in the hiring process if so requested.

  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right industrial electrician for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your industrial electrician job on Zippia to find and recruit industrial electrician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with industrial electrician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new industrial electrician

    Once you've found the industrial electrician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire an industrial electrician?

Hiring an industrial electrician comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting industrial electricians involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of industrial electrician recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $62,533 per year for an industrial electrician, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for industrial electricians in the US typically range between $22 and $39 an hour.

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