The shine of the fluorescent office lights has seemingly dimmed for the youngest working generation. For some time now, the four-year degree was pushed as a key to success for junior employees looking to nab a well-paying and stable job. But as the price tag for higher education soars and white-collar jobs become more volatile, it appears as if the tides have begun to shift.
Enter the trade jobs. Most Americans (78%) have noticed a rising interest in trade careers from young adults, according to a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults for Intuit Credit Karma.
A large cohort of Americans (32%) are trade workers, and a growing number are looking to join the ranks. While roughly a quarter of Americans are planning to enter the trade sector, that number grows to 50% when talking about Gen Z and millennials. They are pulled in by the prospect of work-life balance, job security, as well as job availability.
And more than one in four Gen Zers have reportedly considered pursuing vocational training or trade school. It’s surely no coincidence that many in these young generations also have faced the steepest cost of college, entered a thorny recession-marred job market, and witnessed a pandemic that exposed the pitfalls of the white-collar workforce.
"Folks have really prioritized a college education as a path to the middle class and a path to a cushy office job,” Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of nonprofit Jewish Vocational Service, told NPR. "Over the last 10 to 15 years, we are seeing a trend among young people opting out of universities. Just the crushing debt of college is becoming a barrier in and of itself."
The waning allure of white-collar gigs
Indeed, younger generations are simply taking note of the market they're being thrust into; the white-collar workforce has gone through a rough patch lately, after all. Junior employees have seen the contract between employers and employees break, or at least fray, as office workers navigate rounds of layoffs and threats of AI from upper management. Those searching for a job have found the hiring process is often longer and more trying than in the past. Even the 2010s’ highly sought-after tech jobs have dwindled in trendiness as Gen Z prioritizes consistency and stability over high-paying but stressful jobs.
It all means that 21% of Americans see trade jobs more favorably than corporate ones, with that figure rising to 31% among millennials, and 23% for Gen Zers.
Meanwhile, blue-collar workers have seen some gains recently. Often backed by strong unions, which are less common in white-collar office work, this sector has held on to the fading pension while petitioning for historical contracts that include high salaries and safeguards for better conditions. A whopping 66% of respondents reported believing that trade employees have greater job security than white-collar workers, a sentiment shared equally by those in both professions.
The workforce is contending with stereotypes regarding manufacturing jobs and the stigma associated with them. Almost half (49%) of Americans believe society views trade jobs more negatively than corporate ones, an attitude held more highly by older generations. It seems, however, as if Gen Z is pushing back against this notion, having seen white-collar work fail to deliver on its promise for other generations. Even if these jobs were once an avenue of success for some, as decades past, many younger workers have found they need to job hop to truly climb the corporate ladder.
When it comes to college, America is divided on whether there is higher return on investment on said pursuits or a trade school, according to Credit Karma’s survey. More than half (52%) of Gen Zers don’t see the value in a four-year degree, compared to 45% of the general respondents. Adding the weight of loans to the equation, many (64%) don’t think the cost is simply worth it.
Even so, 61% of employees believe a college degree leads to a well-paying gig. One thing seems to be clear: The pressured pipeline isn’t the only one that holds weight. Most (77%) Americans think the idea that one needs to go to college to have a successful career is outdated.
And as the blue-collar workforce ages, America faces a potential shortage of up to 2.5 million employees by 2030, projects McKinsey. But the current state of the white-collar workforce and college pipeline seems to be doing advertising for trade work all on its own.
“It’s not a crisis story like it was a few years ago,” Michael Krupnicki, president of the American Welding Society told the Wall Street Journal in April. “The pendulum swing has happened hard and fast.”
