It’s trick of the trade.
Gen Z is turning to traditional trade jobs amid fears AI will soon replace many white-collar careers, a new survey has uncovered.
Resume Builder conducted a survey with over 1,400 Gen Z adults aged 18 to 28, revealing that 42% of them are either working in or planning to enter blue-collar or skilled trade occupations, such as plumbing, welding, or electrical work. Notably, this includes 37% of Gen Z individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree.
Almost a third of respondents said such jobs offer better long-term prospects, while a quarter said the roles are less likely to be taken over by AI.
“There’s a growing trend of Gen Z college graduates shifting towards trade careers, and it’s understandable,” stated Stacie Haller, Chief Career Advisor at Resume Builder. “Trade jobs provide hands-on work that’s challenging to replace with automation. Furthermore, many graduates find that their degrees don’t always translate into jobs in their field, leading them to seek out more practical, in-demand paths.”
In fact, nearly one out of five Zoomers (19%) currently employed in trades reported that they were unable to secure a job in the area they had initially studied for.
Of those who were able to land a white-collar role, 16% eventually quit and turned to a trade job because it potentially offered more money.
It’s a stunning inversion from decades’ past, where a job requiring a college degree typically offered far better pay than blue-collar work.
Resume Builder also found that trade jobs were particularly enticing for Gen Z as the cost of obtaining a college degree continues to rise.
Many surveyed Zoomers said they didn’t want to be burdened by paying back burdensome college loans.
The average cost of college in the United States has more than doubled over the past 24 years to $38,270 per student per year, according to the Education Data Initiative.
The findings come less than a year after The Wall Street Journal reported that Gen Z is becoming “the toolbelt generation.”
Trades are flourishing as college enrollment shrinks, per the report, which found that “the number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level … since 2018.”
Kids studying construction trades rose 23% during the five-year period, while those training for HVAC and vehicle repair careers increased 7%.
An Associated Press article from 2023 also reported on the trend, similarly saying pricey college tuition was turning Zoomers off higher education.
“If I would have gone to college after school, I would be dead broke,” one young man working at a Ford plant told the Associated Press in a story about young people skipping college in favor of the skilled trades. The youngster is making $24 an hour at age 19, with no student debt.
