WEST LEBANON — After a pair of father and son plumbers were laid off early last year from jobs in Unity with Massachusetts-based Youngblood Co., they went down different paths.
Allan Parshall, 64, went to work for another employer and is currently working four, 10-hour night shifts each week to renovate the plumbing at the West Lebanon Hannaford.
“I’ve done this type of work before, but it’s not as easy the older I get,” said Parshall, who plans to retire in the coming years, after decades as a plumber for multiple companies across New Hampshire.
When his son, Richard Parshall, 29, started his plumbing career, he initially opted to do the same. Over the years, the two had even worked on projects for the same contractors at times.
“As he was growing up, that’s pretty much all we knew,” Allan Parshall said of his son’s interest in the trade.
But following the layoffs, while Allan Parshall moved on to new company, Richard Parshall took it as an opportunity to launch his own plumbing business, hoping to reap some of the financial benefits of his in-demand skills.
Both men, one at the end of his career and the other still at the beginning, are part of the trades industry where the demand for skilled workers and the supply have long been out of whack.
Some Upper Valley contractors who hire crews for larger projects report a shortage of workers across trades. In the construction cluster, which includes plumbers, carpenters and electricians among other jobs, 29% of the workforce is aged 55 and over, according to a 2022 New Hampshire workforce assessment. Recent and upcoming retirements indicate more vacancies are forthcoming, but it’s unclear whether there are enough new workers waiting in the wings to take over.
Across the border in Vermont, there are a total of 26,000 people in construction and extraction occupations, or maintenance, installation and repair occupations, according to 2023 U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. These figures show an increase since 1992, when there were 11,000 Vermonters working in construction jobs, based on a 2020 study.
Statewide, nearly 23% of the population is 60 years and older, with 18% being 65 and older, according to Census data.
Richard Parshall recalls graduating from Thetford Academy in 2015 as one of few students interested in pursuing a trade instead of college. He opted to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a master plumber.
“With a trade, you have career advancement. That money is going to keep growing,” said Richard Parshall.
Many local contractors struggle to find reliable, long-term help. Companies are short staffed and in high demand, with jobs booked weeks, months or even years out.
Educators, however, are hopeful that the new generation of workers will rise to the occasion.
“It’s at the point where if you’re willing to show up and do the work, people are willing to give you a chance,” said welding teacher Heather Kerin-Herrick.
A critical situation
The issue may be even more acute in the Upper Valley.
Based on 2024 county-wide data for trade jobs, Grafton County has 1,700 construction and extraction workers, and Sullivan County has 1,000, meaning both Upper Valley, New Hampshire counties fall below the 2,500 average of workers across all 10 counties.
“Ten years ago, we had a problem … and fast forward to today, it’s now a crisis, and we just do not have enough people coming into the trades,” said Joshua Reap, CEO of associated builders and contractors New Hampshire and Vermont chapter.
Reap said that the number young people joining the trades has been insufficient for years, but retirements have turned a problem into a crisis.
Allan Parshall earned his master plumber certification about 30 years ago after taking an aptitude test with results that suggested he try his hand at plumbing. Before that, Parshall served in the Army for three years, then worked as a cook and in machine shops. As an plumbing apprentice, Parshall made about $10 an hour. (Adjusted for inflation, a similar wage now would be around $20 per hour.)
Even then, Parshall said the decline in tradespeople was apparent. In the ’90s, many high school graduates were steered toward college and office jobs instead of vocational work.
The construction employment in New Hampshire fell to a low of about 13,200 workers in the ’90s.
Throughout his career with multiple companies based in New Hampshire, Parshall recalled working alongside and training young people who were generally competent and had a good attitude.
“I just wish there were more of them,” said Parshall.
While some contractors feel that the decline in tradespeople is a result of young people not wanting to work anymore, Parshall sees it differently.
“At one time, I would’ve thought so. I’m not so sure about that now that I have a son who’s also a master plumber,” said Parshall.
Allan Parshall currently works for T.Dean Plumbing and Heating, a Unity-based company with eight employees. His night shifts are manageable and the work is typical, but Parshall feels retirement within the next couple years is likely.
“I’m kind of worn out,” said Allan.
Richard Parshall grew up in the Upper Valley. Despite being raised by a plumber, he remembers encouragement from his dad to learn on his own.
“I didn’t work with him the first few years so I had the ability to have my own teachers,” said Parshall.
Still, Richard Parshall helped out his dad with jobs beginning around the age of 18, “doing things that are rudimentary but they also give you some exposure,” he said.
His business, Parshall’s Plumbing and Heating, has been in operation since early 2025. He charges about $135 per hour for residential jobs, with occasional small commercial projects billed at time and a half.
“There’s a shortage right now. You can more or less name your own price pretty comfortably,” said Richard.
Richard Parshall was raised by his father and late mother, Dina Parshall. Now, he has two children of his own.
Richard remembers his dad travelling and working long days in his youth, including in middle school when Allan Parshall worked hours away and would leave the house before his son woke up for school, returning in the evening.
“That gets to be a lot for people after a while. I get that a lot. I didn’t get home until 9 last night,” said Richard Parshall.
A daily concern
Tyson Dean, owner of T. Dean Plumbing and Heating in Unity, said he is concerned about replacing two crew members in their 60s upon retirement, including Allan Parshall, especially with other contractors also on the hunt for workers.
“It’s definitely a concern of mine daily,” said Dean.
T.Dean Plumbing and Heating has been in business for six years, providing commercial plumbing services to Upper Valley businesses. The company did not have employees until about two years ago because they couldn’t find anyone, said Dean.
Knight’s Painting and Home Repair, a woman-owned company based out of Claremont, is similarly grappling with the shortage of workers. Owners Danielle and Bryana Knight are working with a team of four — including themselves — when they could really use about 10 additional sets of hands.
Knight’s is booked into 2028, said Danielle Knight. Over the past five years, the couple has exhausted every avenue to find reliable help, including hiring apps, social media, newspapers and rehabilitation programs.
“I think the kids have figured out how to make money on their phones,” said Danielle. “… They just don’t have the mindset to work hard for their dollar.”
The Knights said they’ve seen significant turnover, with most employees lasting just four to six months.
The two owners work full time, which for them has meant 12-hour days, six days a week.
Bryana Knight noted that while more women are joining the trades, it’s still rare to see companies owned by women, which they feel has added to the challenge of finding help.
“A lot of times we get guys who have been in the trades and then when they come under us, there’s a vibe where you can tell they just do not like to answer to women,” said Bryana Knight.
Rory Gawler, 44, started a Lebanon-based handyman business, Irontough Home Services, after 15 years of working on his own home. He found it a challenge to hire people to help with projects.
“I would call to get an estimate and it’d be a month’s salary for me, as in my job as an educator,” said Gawler. “And I was pretty confident I could do that in a weekend and I usually could.”
Specifically, Gawler recalls a $3,200 estimate to replace his heating oil tank, which was about eight years ago.
While working on an addition for his Lebanon home, Gawler said people would drive by and ask to hire him so frequently, he eventually left his job as an outdoor educator and ran the business full time.
“They’re so grateful that I return their phone calls,” said Gawler, referring to customers.
Derek Cypher, 45, is a Randolph Center-based electrician with two crew members, a teenaged apprentice who attends the Randolph Technical Career Center and a 22-year-old licensed plumber who started a few months ago.
While Cypher considers both employees reliable and skilled, the lack of experience means he must fill two roles, one as business owner and another as overseeing electrician, which can add up to 12-hour days.
“I’ve been in business about four years now, with the intention of growing the business and being able to put my tools down more,” said Cypher.
Cypher Electrical Services pays the certified employee $32 an hour, and the apprentice $20, with increases along the way. Cypher recalled making $12 as an apprentice and $21 once licensed when he started as an electrician about 20 years ago.
Due to the current lack of help, Cypher has had to turn down larger projects, and can’t always respond to small service calls on his own because he is typically on site with the two employees.
“I just can’t make the time commitment or meet the deadlines with the current folks I have,” said Cypher.
Heather Kerin-Herrick, a welding teacher at Sugar River Technical School in Newport, said she feels that the employment gap is not due to a lack of interest today, but rather the result of a previous push for four-year college degrees.
While Kerin-Herrick is the daughter of a blacksmith who took interest in metalwork, not all children were encouraged to pursue the trades. Those who started in the trades during the ’70s typically encouraged their children to go to college, she said.
It used to be that students chose between an academic education or a technical one, but now there’s the option to combine those skill sets.
Based on data over the past five years, 25% of Kerin-Herrick’s students end up with a career in welding, she said, but the vast majority end up in a trade.
“Even if they’re not specifically going into welding as a career, they might go into automotive and use their welding skills,” said Kerin-Herrick.
Enrollment this year at the Hartford Area Career & Technology Center is last reported at about 340 students, according to data shared by Director Erika Schneider. In the 2017 to 2018 school year, there were 289 students enrolled.
This year, the center offers 17 programs for high school students and six for adults. The curriculum offered is determined based on the level of need in the industry and can vary from year to year. The most popular programs are building trades and industrial mechanics and welding, said Schneider.
Always a need
Richard Parshall, despite finding success as a plumber, pointed out obstacles in getting into plumbing and other trades, such as lower pay during the training years.
As an apprentice 10 years ago, Parshall earned $14 an hour, which adjusted for inflation would be nearly about $19 per hour today.
“A lot of the kids look at it and go, ‘Well, I can make that working at Home Depot or McDonald’s,” said Parshall.
Parshall noted that the years of schooling often lead to lucrative jobs in the trades, but that the wait is not always affordable for everyone.
“Even when you get close to 30, it’s hard to make a drastic career change in a lot of cases,” said Parshall.
Noah Nelson, 27, is a Claremont resident with a family of four who currently works in manufacturing at Timken Aerospace. While interested in getting into plumbing, he noted that the time commitment with an hourly wage below between $18 and $24 is a hurdle he will need to overcome to join the trade.
He decided the effort ultimately would be worthwhile because he feels called to the lifestyle of a tradesperson, and sees longevity in plumbing.
“I’d enjoy doing something that’s a little bit different every day,” said Nelson.
One thing that Allan Parshall said that stuck with him is that there will always be a need for the trades, and that plumbing is a recession-proof career.
“I have no answer for how to get more people into the trades,” said Allan Parshall. “… But there are a lot of people out there who are very good with their hands. I’m sure what’s going to happen is, at some point, this field will start to recover.”
