As artificial intelligence reshapes the white-collar workforce, more college graduates are taking a fresh look at skilled trades — and finding that hands-on careers can deliver stability, strong demand and salaries that climb deep into six figures.
That shift is especially visible in cities such as San Francisco, where much of the built environment is more than 100 years old. Aging elevators and escalators are fueling steady demand for technicians who know how to maintain, repair and modernize critical equipment.
In the Bay Area, elevator and escalator installers and repairers now rank among the region’s best-paid blue-collar professionals, with annual earnings ranging from $109,820 to $130,000, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.
Between deteriorating infrastructure and a declining number of experienced tradespeople, the field offers a level of job security that automation and AI are unlikely to disrupt anytime soon.
Recent wage data shows certified elevator workers out-earning several other skilled trades, including first-line supervisors in construction and extraction, as well as terrazzo workers and finishers.
Greg Hardeman, who works with the local IUEC, the union representing elevator constructors, said elevators have long been woven into San Francisco’s urban landscape.
“We’re pushing our 125th anniversary next year, but we’ve been putting elevators in probably longer than 130 years,” Hardeman told Mission Local.
Hardeman said the industry urgently needs workers trained for demanding technical tasks, from welding brackets and pulling wires to aligning tracks and keeping elevator systems operating safely.
“We’re almost like the SEAL Team 6 of the trades because we do everything, everywhere.”
Hardeman said there’s been a huge increase in applications recently for enrollment into the union’s apprenticeship program.
“We took 750 applications and filled them up pretty quickly — in under a minute,” he said.
Mike Moore, a longtime elevator technician with the union and instructor of the trade, said remote workers need to realize the value of having a skilled trade.
“Because if you can stay at home and work, then somebody in India can do your work for cheaper. And that’s what’s going to happen,” Moore said.
“If your elevator breaks down, they’re not going to outsource a broken elevator to India. They’re going to require somebody to come in and look at the elevator in person.”
To qualify for the program, a person needs only to have their high school diploma. It takes about four to five years to complete the process and become certified.
Currently, there are 1,400 elevator technicians in all of Northern California, with only two trade schools in the entire state for these kind of jobs.
