Plastic welder vs welder helper

The differences between plastic welders and welder helpers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plastic welder and a welder helper. Additionally, a plastic welder has an average salary of $44,588, which is higher than the $29,684 average annual salary of a welder helper.

The top three skills for a plastic welder include water tanks, RAN and extrusion. The most important skills for a welder helper are grind welds, MIG, and grinders.

Plastic welder vs welder helper overview

	Plastic Welder	Welder Helper
Yearly salary	$44,588	$29,684
Hourly rate	$21.44	$14.27
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,251	21,605
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 60%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Plastic welder vs welder helper salary

Plastic welders and welder helpers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plastic Welder	Welder Helper
Average salary	$44,588	$29,684
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $59,000	Between $22,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Bakersfield, CA
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	Kiewit
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between plastic welder and welder helper education

There are a few differences between a plastic welder and a welder helper in terms of educational background:

	Plastic Welder	Welder Helper
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 60%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Plastic welder vs welder helper demographics

Here are the differences between plastic welders' and welder helpers' demographics:

	Plastic Welder	Welder Helper
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%	Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic welder and welder helper duties and responsibilities

Plastic welder example responsibilities.

Perform TPM using companies' procedures.
Fabricate plastic pickling tanks using extrusion guns, drills, saws and other power tools
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.
Fabricate and repair of down hole tools, support for machine shops NDT testing
Assign and assist welders, NDT technicians, machinist and helpers with daily job assignments.
Operate the robotic welding machine which make the seat frame for all Honda vehicles

Welder helper example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Weld structural material including carbon steel and stainless steel using SMAW, and MIG processes.
Perform welder duties using SMAW, PAC, GMAW, oxy-fuel cutting, and GTAW processes.
Work on vessels welding using SMAW and FCAW
Can also Tig weld and use the process FCAW
Perform welder helper duties using electric, oxyacetylene, MIG and TIG welding processes.

Plastic welder vs welder helper skills

Common plastic welder skills

Water Tanks, 61%
RAN, 15%
Extrusion, 15%
Torches, 9%

Common welder helper skills

Grind Welds, 10%
MIG, 9%
Grinders, 9%
Safety Equipment, 7%
Arc Welding, 7%
GMAW, 6%