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October 1966 Radio-Electronics
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Electronics,
published 1930-1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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 In this 1966 edition of
Radio-Electronics magazine article, editor Forest Belt tells how three service-association
leaders were discussing the difficulty of hiring skilled technicians for their electronic
service shops due to low wages. The average salary for a TV service technician in
1965 was under $110 per week ($1,102 in 2025 money per the
BLM's CPI calculator - not bad, really), a mere 6% increase from 1960, which
is less than the change in the cost-of-living index (the CPI calculator says
6% inflation over that time period, so somebody's numbers were/are wrong). Many
technicians are leaving for higher-paying jobs in the industry. To tackle this issue,
service shop owners should improve business practices, charge enough for their services,
hire and train the best technicians, and invest in modern equipment. Technicians
should also insist on better pay and continuously enhance their skills through training
and education.
A Shortage of Service Technicians
 By Forest H. Belt, Editor
Not long ago, I sat talking at lunch with three service-association leaders.
All three of these men own and operate electronic service shops.
"I've been trying to hire a TV bench technician for 4 months," one of them said
over a spoonful of soup. "It's next to impossible to find anyone nowadays who can
fix a TV set right."
"You too?" asked another between forkfuls of salad. "I've been advertising for
a tape-recorder-phono repairman for more than a year."
I buttered a roll and asked, "How much are you paying?"
The three exchanged glances. Each waited for another to answer, none of them
looking at me. Here apparently was a question with an answer no one wanted to talk
about.
I relieved the awkward silence myself. "I talked with the general manager of
a large manufacturer the other day, and he was telling me how he attracts top men
to his firm: he does it with money. He simply pays top salaries and then demands
peak performance."
My three friends sat digesting that tidbit. I continued, "Do you suppose money
has anything to do with the trouble you have finding good technicians?"
That started a lively conversation too lengthy to report. Coffee was cold long
before we were through.
But one interesting fact emerged. A 1965 survey showed the average salary for
a TV service technician to be under $110 per week. The average in 1960 was just
under $104 - a mere 6% increase over five years. Less than the change in the cost-of-living
index. By equivalent standards, technicians now earn less than they did 5 years
ago.
Shop owners wonder, "Where are all the bench technicians?" It shouldn't be hard
to figure out. They're going to higher-paying jobs in industry - at least the young
and the good ones are.
Do you blame them? Why struggle along for less than $6,000 a year when big companies
offer technicians $7,000-$8,000-$10,000 - and more - often throwing in a lot of
training besides? Electronics schools find their television and radio courses aren't
nearly so popular as their industrial electronics and advanced technology curricula.
Service dealers cry, "We don't make enough now to afford what we're already paying.
How can we possibly pay more?"
I could answer, "Pay more or go slowly out of business." But that's too easy.
Instead, I have suggestions for service-shop owners and technicians alike.
Take a lesson from the automotive industry. What happens when they get hit with
a wage boost? They find a way to increase production or cut costs and thus absorb
the higher wage cost, or else they up the price they charge for their product. Sounds
simple, doesn't it?
How can you apply this procedure to your setup? It is done in several steps.
Check your business practices. If you're not a trained businessman,
get a professional to advise you. Believe it or not, he'll save you money. I've
analyzed businesses for owners who had no idea why they were losing hundreds of
dollars every year. Some weren't even sure they were losing money; they just never
seemed able to pay their bills. The causes are often easy to eliminate. A more profitable
charge, a reduced cost, a better inventory system, a stronger credit system - these
and many more needs can be pinned down by a trained consultant. Make sure your business
is fiscally sound. Otherwise, you can never afford the kind of help you need.
Make sure you're charging enough. Typical service-call charge now is
$6. Many get more. You can't subsidize TV and radio repairs for your customers.
Leave cheap service calls to shops that can't afford good technicians.
Hire only the best. Sure, you have to pay them more money, but then
be sure you get your money's worth from them. Let the laggards earn their peanuts
at the cut-rate shops.
Train the people you hire. As they turn out more work, you can afford
higher pay - and incidentally have more left over for profit. Training costs needn't
be high, either. Manufacturers, distributors, and associations are joining with
schools in battling the shortage of technicians. They do it by offering night courses,
clinics, advanced classes, 3-day seminars, 1-night lectures, correspondence lessons,
and so on. Some of these programs cost you nothing. All of them are worth whatever
they cost when you consider the benefits of more efficient, better trained men.
Buy modern instruments. Factories faced with higher wages invest capital
in modern equipment that will raise production enough to offset the wage hike. You
can do the same. The time your technicians waste on tough dogs means money of yours
down the drain. Keep your technicians equipped for peak performance.
Check your business practices. Sound repetitious? It is. This step is
a key to all the others. Fail at this step, and the others will only prolong the
agony of your dying business.
And if you're a technician? You can help yourself, too. If you're a good technician,
insist that the shop owner pay you as one! If you're not a good one he won't anyway,
so get the training you need to become a good one. Shortage notwithstanding, there's
no room anymore for half-trained technicians, no matter how willing they are. Shops
can no longer wait while you learn by practical experience. Join the classes, study
the books and lessons, attend the clinics and lectures. Get the basic training you
need before you try to pass yourself off as a technician. You'll find it much easier
then to work your way to top pay in this great and growing business.
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