Inspired by Social Media, Gen Z Is Increasingly Drawn to the Skilled Trades
Marco Zappacosta•Co-Founder & CEO of Thumbtack •Last updated Sep 25, 2024
Last updated Sep 25, 2024
Table of Contents
- Social media is reshaping Gen Z career decisions — and painting the skilled trades in a new light.
- Gen Z sees a lot to like about the skilled trades.
- Parents see the advantages of skilled trades — but still need convincing.
- Increasingly tech-centric trades offer appealing entry points for digital-savvy Gen Z.
- The future of skilled trades looks bright, but there’s still work to be done.
- Future of the Skilled Trades Report Methodology:
Gen Z wants to make up their own minds about their careers — not just accept traditional assumptions about office jobs being the “best” pathway to success. And when social media gives them a real, #NoFilter look at daily life in various professions, they’re increasingly drawn to the earning potential, autonomy, and fulfillment offered by the skilled trades.
For Thumbtack’s Second Annual Future of the Skilled Trades Report, we explored the role of social media in changing Gen Z’s perceptions of the trades and their future path. Our findings suggest a trend that goes deeper than memes and scrollable content, as young people give serious consideration to becoming plumbers, electricians, general contractors, and other hands-on, specialized professions.
While the pipeline problem continues to pose challenges for many — given a lack of access to training programs in schools amid the increase in new technologies — Gen Z’s interest and ambition are clear. At a time when the demand for skilled trade work outpaces the available workforce, the “Toolbelt Generation” is answering the call.
Let’s take a closer look at the data and what it means for both Gen Z and the skilled trades.
Social media is reshaping Gen Z career decisions — and painting the skilled trades in a new light.
Gen Z believes in keeping it real. They’re not interested in the kind of idealized self-presentations favored by earlier generations — especially when it comes to life-on-the-job content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Instead, they want to see both the good and bad parts of “a hard day’s work” by everyone from bottom-of-the-ladder finance professionals to oil rig workers, carpenters and more. And it’s not simply a matter of curiosity; in fact, our survey found that social media is the second-biggest influence over Gen Z’s career paths, above teachers, siblings and extended family.
And skilled trades professionals are driving this trend, with 60% of pros saying that their careers are becoming increasingly “instagrammable” — the top cultural shift they identified happening recently in their field. They’re getting views too; 77% of Gen Z report that they’ve seen increased attention to the skilled trades on social media as posts increased 52% year-over-year on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
This increased visibility is creating a positive impact in terms of both perception and active interest:
- 84% of both Gen Zers and their parents express high respect for the skilled trades.
- 67% of Gen Zers — including 78% of those with a college degree — say social media has increased their interest in these professions.
- 55% of Gen Zers are considering a skilled trade career (up 12% from last year) — including 72% of those with a college degree.
As women in the trades share their experiences on social media, they’re contributing to a surge in interest among Gen Z women, a shift that may bring more gender balance to traditionally male-dominated industries. Gen Z women rank social media as the number one career path influence (even greater than their parents), and they’re now nearly as interested in a career in the skilled trades as their male counterparts (52% vs 57% respectively) — a major shift from previous generations.
Gen Z sees a lot to like about the skilled trades.
What is it about the skilled trades that’s so exciting for Gen Z? When asked, they cited the ability to earn money and work right away, to pursue a career they enjoy, and to learn new skills. All attributes pros rate as better than other industries. Compared with an office job, the trades offer an opportunity to run your own company, control your own schedule, and pursue a career you enjoy.
As Gen Zers enter a cooling labor market following several years of economic swings, many are seeing a more secure future in the trades. Unlike workers in more volatile industries such as tech and finance, skilled trades pros feel optimistic about their professional futures (95%) — particularly around helping others, job security and opportunities for work. And the majority expect their financial outlook to get even better in the next three months.
Factors like these lead a remarkable 89% of skilled trade pros to express high job satisfaction. That’s 30 points higher than lawyers and 17 points higher than doctors. They’re also much happier with the pathway they chose: Gen Z college graduates are seven times more likely to regret attending college than pros who attended trade school. And 83% of pros would still choose a skilled trades career if they could turn back the clock and decide again.
Parents see the advantages of skilled trades — but still need convincing.
As disruption continues to roil white-collar industries, including the potential for job displacement due to Generative AI, parents are increasingly open to the idea of a skilled trades career. Asked why they would be excited about such a path for their kids, they cited financial security and being able to work and earn money right away as the top reasons. And aside from doctors, a career in the skilled trades was named as the most highly respected career path among parents, ahead of fields including law, tech, banking, and government.
A skilled trade career is especially compelling for parents in light of its lower cost of entry compared with the high financial investment required for college:
- 71% of parents agree that a degree does not hold enough value in today’s job market to match the rising price of college.
- Half of parents had at least passing regrets about the money invested in their children’s college education instead of pursuing a skilled trades career path.
- 80% of parents and 93% of Gen Z college grads agree learning a skilled trade is a better pathway to economic security than going to college.
Still, a disconnect remains between what parents believe about skilled trade careers and the path they continue to push their kids down, with 77% of parents having pressured their children to attend four-year college. This disconnect between parents’ positive perception of the trades and adoption within their own families signals a remaining bias towards four-year degrees that we’ll likely continue to see shift. For their kids, this bias lacks credibility: 79% of Gen Zers feel strongly that teens are incorrectly told college is the only way to be successful (89% among college graduates). Those who do give into the pressure continue to feel this way, with 60% of Gen Z college graduates regretting spending this money.
Increasingly tech-centric trades offer appealing entry points for digital-savvy Gen Z.
For the digital-native, choosing a career in the trades doesn’t have to mean staying on the sidelines of innovation. 85% of pros say the general public doesn’t understand the level of technical skills required in their field today, driven especially by clean energy technologies — like solar and geothermal — that are driving new knowledge requirements for electricians, plumbers and HVAC professionals.
Social media is helping to educate consumers on how the trades are evolving and Gen Z expresses interest in learning these skills. Particularly, they’re interested in 3D printing and modeling, robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer assisted design (CAD). These skills are used by builders, engineers, designers and architects, and are bleeding into other trade industries. What’s more, Artificial Intelligence is considered the most impactful skill to know in the future regardless of industry among Gen Z, pros, and parents alike (76%, 51%, 75% respectively).
Unfortunately, Gen Z’s growing appetite to learn trade-related skills is not matched by opportunities for learning them. Only 41% of them reported having any access to trade programs in school, effectively cutting off a pathway to well-paying skilled trades jobs for students every year. When such programs are provided, however, Gen Z embraces them: 83% of Gen Zers who’ve taken shop class said it was their favorite subject — almost equal among men and women. Learning new skills and technology advancements were cited by both Gen Z and their parents as top reasons for excitement about a career in the skilled trades. Addressing this gap could play a key role in getting more people to embrace a career in the trades.
The future of skilled trades looks bright, but there’s still work to be done.
In past generations, young people traditionally learned about skilled trades careers and their appeal through friends or family working in the industry or through shop class and technical schools which have dwindled in recent decades. The rise of #NoFilter on-the-job content comes at a perfect time, replenishing interest and excitement among the next generation to enter a short-handed skilled trades workforce.
Our marketplace makes it easier for homeowners to find and hire the right professionals for all of their repairs, maintenance, and improvements from our community of 300,000 skilled professionals. These pros told us finding and hiring young workers to join their business was the number one concern they’re facing today. And as electricians, plumbers, and welders retire, many homeowners have experienced sticker shock at the rising cost of homeownership. And amid a national push to build more housing, demand for these professions will only increase, making them a crucial piece to solving the national housing crisis. Other factors like adapting to climate change will require new advancements in technology that improve the efficiency and structural integrity of our physical infrastructure, further providing opportunities for the country’s first digitally-native generation.
Social media has opened new windows into the full range of opportunities the trades provide, and Gen Zers are discovering just how rewarding these careers can be — without the risks of a four-year college path. They told us they’re most interested in trade careers as engineers, electricians, carpenters, welders, general contractors, and plumbers. That’s good news for both Gen Z and our communities.
This is, however, just the first piece of the puzzle, sparking interest and showing the next generation what a career in the trades could look like for them. National apprenticeship programs and increased access to trade programs in schools are crucial to ensuring Gen Z’s growing interest will translate to real career paths.
Future of the Skilled Trades Report Methodology:
Gen Z Survey: This sample of 1,000 U.S. Gen Z’ers (aged 16–26) were surveyed between July 27, 2024 and July 29, 2024. Sampling was calibrated to obtain an equal sample of high school aged (16 to 18) and college aged (19 to 26) respondents. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post stratification has been applied to the results. Margin of error = 3.1%
Parents of Gen Z Survey: This sample of 1,000 U.S. adults was surveyed between July 26, 2024 and July 30, 2024. All respondents are parents to at least one child between the ages of 16 and 26, confirmed by both consumer-matched data and self-confirmation. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post-stratification has been applied to the results. Margin of error = 3.1%
Thumbtack Pro Survey: Sample of 1,233 U.S. adults, consisting of 805 completes and 428 partial completes, was surveyed between June 26 and August 2, 2024. All respondents are primarily employed in the skilled trades, via self-confirmation. Thumbtack conducted this survey via link sharing through their internal email list. No post-stratification has been applied to the results. Margin of error = 2.8% to 3.5%
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