How to hire a welder fitter

Welder fitter hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring welder fitters in the United States:

The median cost to hire a welder fitter is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
Small businesses spend $1,105 per welder fitter on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
There are a total of 380,577 welder fitters in the US, and there are currently 8,022 job openings in this field.
Tulsa, OK, has the highest demand for welder fitters, with 12 job openings.

How to hire a welder fitter, step by step

To hire a welder fitter, 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 a welder fitter, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step welder fitter hiring guide:

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

What does a welder fitter do?

A Welder Fitter specializes in manipulating steel, aluminum, and other materials into various industries' structural forms. The majority of a welder's responsibilities are mostly manual work, which can have risks as they use torches or lasers for their daily tasks, and there are also instances when they have to climb high structures. Furthermore, a Welder Fitter must have keen attention to detail and communication skills as they must coordinate with fellow workers most of the time.

Learn more about the specifics of what a welder fitter does

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Identify your hiring needs

Before you post your welder fitter job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a welder fitter for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

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 a welder fitter 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 a welder fitter that fits the bill.

The following list breaks down different types of welder fitters and their corresponding salaries.

Type of Welder Fitter	Description	Hourly rate
Welder Fitter	Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts. They also fill holes, indentations, or seams of metal products.	$13-26
Maintenance Welder	A Maintenance Welder diagnoses and repairs a variety of metal work including construction vehicles and equipment. They cut, fit, and weld metal using gas and electric welding equipment.	$14-25
Structural Welder	The job of structural welders is to design, layout, and fabricate the metal framework for industrial and commercial buildings. They work for a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, shipbuilding, and construction... Show more	$14-27

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- MIG
- Hand Tools
- Arc Welding
- GMAW
- Aluminum
- Stainless Steel
- Carbon Steel
- SMAW
- Safety Equipment
- TIG
- Tig Welding
- GTAW
- FCAW
- Jigs
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Manage and run production parts through the brake.
- Align parts in relation to each other, using jacks, turnbuckles, clips, wedges, and mauls.
- Align and fit according to specifications using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars and hammers.
- Weld and fit per drawing: GTAW aluminum, stainless, steel, and copper-nickel pipe.
- Fabricate parts and equipment using GTAW process on thin metals such as aluminum & other precious metals.
- Manufacture mobile home frames using fixtures, heat beam for a perfect chamber while applying welding procedures of SMAW and GMAW.
More welder fitter duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your welder fitter job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A welder fitter salary can vary based on several factors:

Location. For example, welder fitters' average salary in montana is 35% less than in massachusetts.
Seniority. Entry-level welder fitters earn 49% less than senior-level welder fitters.
Certifications. A welder fitter with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a welder fitter's salary.

Average welder fitter salary

$39,676yearly

$19.07 hourly rate

Entry-level welder fitter salary

$28,000 yearly salary

Updated December 25, 2025

Average welder fitter salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington	$45,288	$22
2	New York	$44,828	$22
3	California	$44,382	$21
4	Pennsylvania	$44,108	$21
5	Wisconsin	$44,030	$21
6	South Carolina	$41,868	$20
7	Minnesota	$41,468	$20
8	Illinois	$41,328	$20
9	Oregon	$41,252	$20
10	Michigan	$41,241	$20
11	Colorado	$40,874	$20
12	Kansas	$40,842	$20
13	North Carolina	$39,757	$19
14	Indiana	$38,676	$19
15	Tennessee	$38,216	$18
16	Texas	$38,012	$18
17	Oklahoma	$37,366	$18
18	Arizona	$37,148	$18
19	Missouri	$37,103	$18
20	Florida	$36,582	$18

Average welder fitter salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Jefferson Lab	$68,266	$32.82
2	Halliburton	$60,474	$29.07	2
3	Meggitt PLC	$56,176	$27.01
4	Oil States International	$53,422	$25.68
5	AMETEK	$52,927	$25.45	6
6	Cirrus Aircraft	$52,910	$25.44
7	Johnson Controls	$52,876	$25.42	28
8	Wabtec Corporation	$52,668	$25.32	6
9	Clean Harbors	$50,776	$24.41	5
10	The Manitowoc Company	$50,309	$24.19	3
11	Abbott	$50,061	$24.07
12	Oceaneering	$50,049	$24.06	2
13	Tesla	$50,020	$24.05	2
14	Bosch USA	$49,140	$23.63
15	Traylor Bros	$49,111	$23.61	1
16	Textron	$49,084	$23.60	11
17	Fisher Dynamics	$48,895	$23.51
18	ASRC Federal	$48,889	$23.50	4
19	Altec	$48,883	$23.50	8
20	Strategic Systems International	$48,432	$23.28

Writing a welder fitter job description
A good welder fitter job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a welder fitter job description:
Welder fitter job description example
MILITARY DEFENSE TRAVEL FITTER/FABRICATOR FOR 2 YEAR CONTRACT IN NEWPORT NEWS, VA

Tack Welding Qualification:

All Shipfitters will be required to pass a Single Pass Tack Welder Qualification Test upon reporting for the first day of work. This test will be:

A. Using the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) Process.

B. With MIL-10718-M (A-5A) Filler Metal of MIL-E-22200/1.

C. In both the Vertical Up (3F) and Overhead (4F) positions.

Required Skills:

1.Single Pass Tack Welding.

2.Burning-Oxygen/Propane Burning Torch.

3.Heating-Oxygen/Propane Heating Torch.

4.Ability to comprehend complex structural assembly drawings, blueprints, and sketches to include weld symbols, material types, datum and reference lines.

5. Ability to comprehend fractional dimensions as with the use of a ruler.

6. Ability to layoff piece parts for fabrication and assembly.

7. Ability to assemble structural piece parts in accordance with specifications in a quality manner.

8. Experience working in a physically demanding environment (shipbuilding, steel fabrication, etc.).

9. Familiarity with OSHA regulations relative to the shipbuilding industry.

10. Use vibratory tools (grinders and needle guns).

ack Welding Qualification:

All Shipfitters will be required to pass a Single Pass Tack Welder Qualification Test upon reporting for the first day of work. This test will be:

A. Using the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) Process.

B. With MIL-10718-M (A-5A) Filler Metal of MIL-E-22200/1.

C. In both the Vertical Up (3F) and Overhead (4F) positions.
About Aerotek:
We know that a company's success starts with its employees. We also know that an individual's success starts with the right career opportunity. As a Best of Staffing Client and Talent leader, Aerotek's people-focused approach yields competitive advantage for our clients and rewarding careers for our contract employees. Since 1983, Aerotek has grown to become a leader in recruiting and staffing services. With more than 250 non-franchised offices, Aerotek's 8,000 internal employees serve more than 300,000 contract employees and 18,000 clients every year. Aerotek is an Allegis Group company, the global leader in talent solutions. Learn more at

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
Post your job
To find the right welder fitter for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with welder fitters they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit welder fitters who meet your education requirements.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your welder fitter job on Zippia to find and recruit welder fitter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
During your first interview to recruit welder fitters, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new welder fitter
Once you've selected the best welder fitter candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.
You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.
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.
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 a welder fitter?

Recruiting welder fitters involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $39,676 per year for a welder fitter, 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 welder fitters in the US typically range between $13 and $26 an hour.

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Updated December 25, 2025

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How to hire a welder fitter