Mumbai man says plumber earns ₹18 LPA, owns house and car: ‘Contemplating my life choices’

A Reddit post claiming that a plumber in Mumbai earns around ₹18 lakh per year has gone viral, prompting a discussion online about the rising value of skilled blue-collar work in India.The user wrote that the conversation made him rethink his own career choices. (Unsplash/Representational image)The post, titled “A Plumber in Mumbai is earning ₹18 LPA,” was shared a user who said he had a conversation with the plumber while the latter was fixing a pipe in his housing society. The OP said that the plumber handles plumbing work for multiple townships across Mira Road, Borivali and Kandivali.“I asked him in general how much does he make in a year. This man revealed that combining all the incomes of the townships that he works, he makes around ₹18 LPA,” the Redditor wrote.Initially, the poster said that he thought the plumber was joking. However, the plumber explained how he earns from multiple societies where he regularly handles plumbing work. The user added that the plumber appears to be doing well financially. “This guy owns a Hyundai Creta (2023 model), has built a house in his village and also bought farmland. Dude has become rich,” the post said, adding that the conversation made the user rethink his own career choices.“At this point of time I am contemplating my life choices. Times that we are living in right now, huh?” he wrote.How did social media react?The post quickly drew a flood of reactions, with many pointing out that skilled trades can be highly lucrative.One user wrote, “If you think plumbers are making a lot of money in Mumbai, you should check out what they earn in the US and Australia!”Another commented that skilled labour is often undervalued in India despite being in short supply. “Skilled blue-collar gigs pay nicely as in India everyone wants white collar job and don’t train for blue collar… Take Civil, Demolition, Electrical, Plumbing etc all skilled jobs and we have shortage,” the user wrote.Several others said it was encouraging to see skilled workers being paid well. “It’s about time skilled labour got its due pay in India,” one commenter wrote.Some users also shared their own experiences, noting that plumbing services can be expensive even for small tasks. “Insane, but I know because they charge min 500 for even just one hour of work and anything is extra depending on task at hand! I don’t even earn 1/3 of that plumber, feeling envious and with AI , I don’t even know after 10 years, my job position will even ex lol,” the user wrote.(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)