26 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 27, 2025
Opinion & Commentary
EDITOR'S TAKE
Lawmakers should ease state's apprenticeship hiring ratio
W
orkforce development
will be a key issue at the
legislature this session, as
Connecticut tries to fill approximately
73,000 unfilled jobs.
One common-sense policy
lawmakers should embrace is reducing
the state's appren-
ticeship hiring ratio,
which supporters say
would help bolster
Connecticut's trade
industry workforce.
Opponents have
argued the change
could lead to the deterioration of
apprenticeship programs.
The issue has come up repeatedly in
the state legislature in recent years, but
has failed to garner enough support.
The state Department of Consumer
Protection imposes a so-called "hiring
ratio" on contracting companies
in electrical, plumbing, pipe fitting,
HVAC and metal-working trades. The
rule is a bit technical, but it essentially
requires contractors to have a certain
number of licensed journeymen on
staff for each apprentice they hire.
The rule allows contractors to
hire up to three apprentices at a 1:1
ratio. That means a company must
have three licensed journeymen on
staff if it wants three apprentices.
It would need two journeymen for
two apprentices.
After the first three apprentice
hires, employers must abide by a
1:3 ratio. That means for each new
apprentice, a company must have
three additional journeymen.
So, a company with 12 licensed
journeymen can only have six appren-
tices on staff.
Several bills, pushed mostly by GOP
lawmakers, have already been raised
this year in the Labor and Public
Employees Committee to reduce, or
even eliminate the hiring ratio. It's
a top issue for numerous groups,
including the Associated Builders
and Contractors of Connecticut and
Home Builders & Remodelers Associ-
ation of Connecticut.
Advocates for the change argue
the current ratio restricts licensed
contractors from bringing on new
hires to work in the trades, which are
significantly understaffed.
Lawmakers on both sides of the
aisle have been promoting appren-
ticeships as a valuable workforce
development tool, especially for indi-
viduals not destined for a traditional
four-year college degree.
If that's true, Connecticut ought to
make it as easy as possible for the
trades to hire apprentices, especially
as the state's workforce continues
to age.
There is, of course, another side to
the debate.
Proponents of the 1:3 ratio,
including some labor unions, say it
ensures less experienced and unli-
censed workers are properly super-
vised. They also argue it prevents
contractors from hiring a large
number of apprentices who can serve
as cheaper labor compared to more
experienced workers, some of whom
belong to unions.
Proponents also said contractors
can ask the state Department of
Labor for "ratio relief," or a waiver
that allows companies to continue to
hire at a 1:1 ratio, even after they've
brought on three apprentices. That
precludes the need to change the
current ratio policy, they argue.
While those are valid points to
consider, the fact that industry
continues to make this a top issue
signifies the 1:3 ratio remains a
burden to hiring.
As the 2025 session moves
forward, there will be plenty of
talk about spending more money
on programs to boost the state's
workforce. But one of the easiest
and cheapest ways to improve the
business climate is through regula-
tory reforms — easing red tape that
businesses must cut through to grow
or expand their operations.
Reducing the state's apprentice-
ship hiring ratio is a step in the
right direction.
Greg Bordonaro
Biz Starts
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