Key Takeaways
- Maricopa County permits have eased from their 2021 peak, but the county still authorizes tens of thousands of new housing units each year.
- Contractors struggle to hire electricians, so even a slower permit pace outruns the crews available to finish homes.
- Electricians and HVAC technicians work every stage of a new home, then stay on for decades of service, upgrades, and replacements.
- Arizona projects steady growth and yearly openings in both trades, driven by new jobs and retirements.
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Maricopa County, Arizona added over 62,000 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, and Phoenix alone added nearly 16,000. Every new household needs wiring and cooling installed, then serviced for decades.
Homebuilding in the Valley has slowed since 2021, yet the county still permits tens of thousands of new homes a year. The electricians and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians who finish them are harder to find than the lots.
How Much the Valley Is Still Building
Maricopa County permitted over 42,000 housing units in 2021 and fewer in each year since, falling to 36,380 in 2024:
| Year | Housing units permitted in Maricopa County |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 41,895 |
| 2021 | 42,123 |
| 2022 | 40,104 |
| 2023 | 38,292 |
| 2024 | 36,380 |
That drop comes to about 14% over three years. Even so, the 2024 total averages close to 100 new housing units every day of the year, a volume that keeps electrical and HVAC crews booked.
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Much of the new building is concentrated in the West Valley and far East Valley, where large master-planned communities are still going up.
Population growth adds pressure from the other direction. New residents keep arriving whether or not builders keep pace, and each household that moves into an existing home still adds to the service load on its wiring and cooling equipment.
Why a Slower Permit Pace Still Leaves a Trades Backlog
The workforce is the tighter constraint. Contractors report difficulty finding electricians at 77% of firms, and 57% say available candidates lack the needed skills. Even flat construction volume outruns the available crews.
Arizona projects both trades to grow from 2024 to 2034 at well over twice the national rate:
| Trade | Arizona growth | U.S. growth | Arizona jobs, 2024 to 2034 | Arizona openings per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 26% growth | 10% | 23,160 to 29,090 | 2,820 |
| HVAC technicians | 27% growth | 8% | 11,460 to 14,600 | 1,390 |
Every home built since 2020 added electrical panels and cooling equipment that now need service, upgrades, and eventual replacement. That builds a second wave of work behind new construction, and it keeps growing as each year’s homes join the service base.
Housing also competes for the same workers as other Valley projects, including data centers, which pull electricians and HVAC techs toward commercial work. When large commercial projects are hired, residential builders feel the squeeze first.
A skilled electrician or HVAC technician takes months of schooling and years of field experience to develop, while a new subdivision can go from dirt to drywall much faster. Contractors that want to keep pace hire trained entry-level workers and bring them up through their crews, which is where new graduates enter the picture.
Where Electricians and HVAC Techs Fit in a New Home Build
Both trades show up at every stage of a new build, then stay on for the life of the home:
| Stage | Electrician work | HVAC work |
|---|---|---|
| Rough-in, before drywall | Boxes, wiring runs, panel location | Ductwork, refrigerant line sets, equipment pads |
| Trim-out | Devices, fixtures, panel terminations | Registers, thermostat, equipment set |
| Final and startup | Testing and inspection | Refrigerant charge, airflow testing, system startup |
| After move-in | Service calls, EV charger and solar add-ons | Maintenance, repairs, replacements |
Each stage passes municipal inspection before the next trade moves in. A shortage in one trade stalls the whole schedule, which is why builders feel the gap even when permits dip. A house with finished framing and no electrician sits idle, and so does every trade scheduled after it, from drywall crews to painters and flooring installers.
The sequence also explains why the work never fully stops. A home that closes today enters the service market tomorrow, and the same trades that built it return for repairs and upgrades over the years that follow.
Electrician Jobs Phoenix Builders Are Hiring For
Electrician jobs Phoenix contractors post for new homes often start in rough-in crews, where new hires learn code requirements on active job sites. Rough-in work rewards speed and accuracy, and it teaches the layout logic that trim and service work depend on later.
Beyond new homes, the same skills lead into service calls, panel upgrades, and electric vehicle (EV) charger and solar installs. Each new neighborhood adds customers for that work once the builders leave. Homeowners who add a pool, a backyard casita, or a home office call electricians for the new circuits.
Electricians who start on residential crews also build a record of hours under a licensed contractor. That experience opens doors to commercial projects, service departments, and eventually a contractor’s license for those who want to run their own shop.
HVAC Jobs Phoenix Homes Depend On
In the Valley, cooling is a basic requirement of a livable home. HVAC jobs Phoenix contractors post cover new installs, and each installed system becomes a service account for years after the builder hands over the keys.
Anyone who services equipment that could release refrigerant needs Section 608 certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That makes certified entry-level techs immediately useful to service contractors, who can send them on calls with less supervision.
Summer shows the stakes. A failed air conditioner in July is an urgent call rather than a scheduled repair, and service companies need enough technicians to answer those calls across a metro area that keeps adding homes every year.
New systems are moving to A2L refrigerants, so techs trained on current equipment fit both new installs and change-outs of older units. That overlap lets a new technician move between builder crews and service departments as demand shifts.
Training for Electrical and HVAC Work in Phoenix
Both trades hire at the entry level, and training determines how quickly a new hire can contribute on a job site. Tulsa Welding School (TWS), formerly The Refrigeration School (RSI), offers training for each path at its Phoenix campus, with morning, afternoon, evening, and Saturday schedules.
The Electrical Technologies program runs about seven months and has students wire a scaled-down three-bedroom home to National Electrical Code requirements.
The Refrigeration Technologies program runs about seven months and gives students the opportunity to qualify for EPA Section 608 certification before they apply for jobs. Students train on residential split systems, heat pumps, commercial equipment, and troubleshooting, the same work they will see on Valley job sites.
The Valley’s homebuilding has slowed from its peak, but the need for trained electricians and HVAC techs to finish, service, and upgrade those homes keeps growing. Contact TWS admissions to ask about electrical or HVAC training in Phoenix, class schedules, and start dates.
