Hmm!
Perhaps 30 -40 years ago I would say yes.
Like many construction workers the Plumber may move from factory to site in the Summer months. In point Fords got fed up with this, as no sooner had they trained operatives with a building background in the Winter than off they went in the Summer. I think generally though Plumbers tended not to do it.
Today however many new Plumbers seem to be coming from industries that are no longer there. In the past it was usually because of temporary work shortages that they moved from factory to Plumber.
Now those factories have gone, so they can't go back to what is no longer there.
If British manufacturing opens up new factories and so far there does not seem to be signs of that on any scale, then things may change.
Unfortunately we also have to ask, what sort of jobs will the factories provide?
High tech requiring a uni degree?
Low paid?
Part time?
Women or men?
So far it does not look to good. The investors are hardly likely to change from investing in financial products which can earn them 20% to factories which may only earn them 6%.
International competition is also very fierce for manufacturing if we try to go into the mass product markets again. We still produce plenty of things in this country, usually through foreign companies using a UK workforce.
What we have to do is invest a bit in our people and produce innovative products, not move our production to low pay countries for them to make. But at the same time we have to share with the developing world, both for human reasons and for them to get enough income to be able to buy our products. Seems pointless churning stuff out without a market. Bit like Plumbers at the moment it seems going by the mails
One employer was removed from the position of business and technology minister in the last government, because instead of innovating new production methods he sent the work abroad and Brits lost jobs.
The employer still employees about 1500 here on high tech uni degree work, but probably employ's either directly or on contract perhaps many thousands of workers abroad in low pay areas.
So where does that leave us regarding Plumbers?
Well if industry starts to produce living wage jobs again, probably many will leave, but not until I don't think.
The current problem is that perhaps too many Plumbers are being turned out, after all colleges require course fee income to keep going as well.
Its the government and industries job to sort it out not the work force, they are just behaving like most people and looking to where they can earn a crust to feed the family.
I must admit I have to laugh at the government shouting about training apprentices?
What are they doing that for if there is no work for them when they finish their apprenticeship?
I should imagine if gas prices rise, gas fitters will become redundant quite fast as people move to alternative fuels. Which they probably will and should anyway for green house gas reasons.
So the best long term job would be Plumber/ electrical/ heating engineer. But biased toward Plumber. You might not even need radiators and pipework in the future, if we go electric which seems we probably will unless an alternative is made for gas.
