Younger American workers are approaching blue-collar jobs with caution, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.
While some members of Gen Z are filling trade positions, data suggests that few intend to stay in the sector for the long haul.
Why It Matters
The findings highlight a critical challenge for industries reliant on physical labor: Younger workers may be willing to take blue-collar jobs but they do not appear to see them as viable long-term careers.
Despite increased wages in many trades, the perception of blue-collar work as physically taxing, inflexible and offering limited advancement remains a barrier for Gen Z, who place a premium on work-life balance and professional development.
The survey was conducted between October 7 and October 13, 2024, among 5,273 employed U.S. adults, including 1,004 blue-collar workers.
While Gen Z interest in trades is increasing in some areas, it is often driven by short-term pragmatism rather than passion.
Rising pay and new technologies have somewhat helped make certain trades more appealing to younger workers. But as it concerns job satisfaction, few Gen Z may actually view these jobs as a pathway into a career.
Currently, blue collar workers make up about 27 percent of the U.S. workforce.
What People Are Saying
Pew Research Center said in its survey: “Given their lower levels of job satisfaction, it may not be surprising that blue-collar workers are much more likely than other workers to see their jobs not as careers but as something that pays the bills.”
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “Gen Z likely views blue collar work as work that can effectively be outsourced at a moment’s notice, as they have seen jobs routinely automated or outsourced. Past generations could work these jobs within their communities and build long lasting relationships, but that no longer exists as many Gen Z job hop from year to year searching for what will make them happy and also pays them a livable wage.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “When it comes to Gen Z and blue collar jobs, it’s not so much about ‘looking down’ on those roles as careers as much as it is seeing them as viable for long-term employment. Many blue collar positions are more labor-intensive with long hours and varying schedules. Even if they technically pay better than some of their white collar counterparts, some in Gen Z may not view as jobs they want to see themselves in over a decade or longer stretch of time.”
HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “Gen Z grew up watching their parents and grandparents work themselves into the ground, both in blue collar and white collar jobs, only to get laid off during a recession or sidelined without a safety net. So no, I’m not surprised they’re less likely to view blue collar work as a lifelong career. They’ve seen what loyalty to a system that doesn’t reciprocate actually looks like.”
What Happens Next
While the younger generation may be characterized as lazy, Driscoll said Gen Z’s unwillingness to work blue collar long term shows the larger loss of appeal in these types of jobs.
“Low pay, lack of benefits, poor working conditions, and minimal upward mobility. Gen Z isn’t necessarily anti-blue collar work – they’re anti-exploitation,” Driscoll said.
“Older generations may have seen blue collar work as dependable, and in a different time, it was. Today however, Gen Z sees it as disposable because that’s how the system has treated the people doing it.”
Source – https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-isnt-looking-make-blue-collar-work-career-2057642