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NCW

Welder 1st Shift

Location

Minnesota Lake, MN

Wage

$52,518/yr

Required Skills & Certifications

MIG WeldingTIG Welding
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Posted on August 11, 2026

Job Description

Overview

In this position, you will weld large and small components such as steel tubing, aluminum, and stainless steel in various positions while assessing welded surfaces to identify errors. Candidates must have experience in primarily TIG and MIG welding, with a focus on producing high-quality welds, especially on aluminum materials.

Responsibilities

  • Weld large and small components such as steel tubing, aluminum, and stainless steel.
  • Perform welding in flat, vertical, and overhead positions.
  • Assess welded surfaces, structures, and components to identify errors.

Requirements

  • Experience in primarily TIG welding and MIG welding.
  • Proficient in TIG welding techniques, particularly on aluminum materials.
  • Ability to produce high-quality welds with minimal defects.

Benefits

Additional Information

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How this job compares in Minnesota Lake, MN

Pay in context

At roughly $25/hr, this posting lands within a few percent of the $27/hr median for welding jobs across Minnesota, whose middle half runs $23–$30/hr across 89 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 42% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. In other words it is a market-rate offer, so benefits, overtime, and shift schedule are where the real difference between this and the next posting on the list shows up.

The local market in Minnesota Lake, MN

Minnesota Lake, MN is a small market in our index: 2 other active welding openings alongside this one, from 2 employers. Across Minnesota as a whole we're tracking 114 other active welding openings from 74 employers. With this few local postings, most welders here end up either commuting or looking at travel work. Browse welding jobs across Minnesota.

NCW currently has 1 other opening live in Minnesota, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Minnesota at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Aerotek (8), Minnesota Jobs (7), and Lake Air Products (4). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Minnesota, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Anoka at $31/hr, Minneapolis at $28/hr, and Saint Paul at $25/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG and TIG work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. TIG (GTAW) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with filler added by hand, giving the operator the most control of any process. It is slow, demanding, and the standard for stainless, aluminum, and anything where the bead has to look as good as it holds.

Similar openings near Minnesota Lake, MN

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Welder 1st Shift figures were last recalculated when this page was built.