It seems that most, or a lot, of piano technicians don't retire till their mid 70's, so those openings might stretch out for a while.
Another way to look at this attrition is that it is mirroring the slow down in manufacturing and sales (in the US) which has actually been going on since the early 90's. That was when people started opting for keyboards to see if their children might take to music, entry level pianos accounted for a huge percentage of new piano sales. This might not have been too apparent because pianos are so long lived, but coupled with reduced manufacturing the piano stock is dwindling.
Apparently this also mirrors a decline in the Trades in general in the US. https://www.axios.com/2023/03/18/technical-worker-shortage-trade-education-construction.
Btw, the number 8,000 has now been mentioned a couple of times as the number of piano technicians in the US, I wonder about that, it seems low to me.
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Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-19-2023 16:00
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: Employment outlook for piano technicians
The other thing to keep in mind is the need for new technicians to replace those who retire. According to my survey results, 67% of piano technicians are over age 50, with 45% being over 65. We can expect to see a lot of job openings in the next few years to replace those who retire.
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Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com
Original Message:
Sent: 03-19-2023 12:42
From: Jeannie Grassi
Subject: Employment outlook for piano technicians
Hello John,
I agree with Patrick, that 50% seems rather inflated.
I think that the number of pianos out there keeps increasing because there are still too many tired and worn out pianos that people Industrie on hanging on to. New piano production may be down, but the market is saturated with old instruments. All the more reason to have good repair skills.
I also think it is worth mentioning the investment in time and patience that a new technician needs to make. Too many would-be technicians have no clue what they're getting into and begin trying to serve the public with few skills. We need to do better at explaining the educational commitment to future technicians. It takes time to get to that point if a actually making a "living. "
Regards,
~ jeannie
Jeannie Grassi
PTG Registered Piano Technician
Bainbridge Island, WA
206-842-3721
grassipianos@gmail.com
Original Message:
Sent: 3/18/2023 9:35:00 AM
From: John Gunderson
Subject: Employment outlook for piano technicians
Greetings all. I was asked by one of our chapter members if I could, as chapter president, provide her with an official employment outlook for piano technicians. I thought I'd share it with the group. See the attachment.
John Gunderson
Registered Piano Technician
732-740-6674
"The tuner alone preserves the tone"