A Surprising Gen Z Career Trend: Manual Labor

Last year, PcW’s annual global workforce survey showed that nearly a third of respondents are anxious about the prospect of their role being replaced by technology in 3 years. NYU estimates that the cost of tuition, including supplies, housing and food, now amounts to roughly $93,000 per year. USC? $95,000. For those mapping out their entry and trajectory into the workforce today, it is likely that there is at least some anxiety around what roles will exist in the near future. It’s also likely that you may be less confident, social benefits aside, in the ROI of a college degree. Only 39% of Gen Z now says pursuing higher education is a priority.

There has been a lot of coverage around a labor shortage (a larger issue beyond why your favorite restaurant was better pre-COVID), an issue which according to new research, may be solved by none other than Gen Z. Dubbed recently by the WSJ as the “toolbelt Generation” – there is a growing rate of enrollment in vocational-focused community colleges. The number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges has increased by 16% YOY. What gets lost in the cultural narrative every time someone leans on that “Gen Z aspires to be influencers for a living” stat is that we as a society haven't’ exactly proved that these “cushy” desk jobs are so cushy -- from the burden of student debt, to the uncertain influence of AI on office work, to the relentless news cycle of mass layoffs, and historically high rates of management burnout.

Guess what the skilled trade labor market doesn’t have? The impending threat of AI, layoff and corporate political anxiety, and most certainly not the emotional rollercoaster every post-graduate today can relate to: submitting job applications within an overcrowded, competitive, online abyss. It’s easy to see how this emerging generation is revisiting, at scale, trade schools as a clearer path to a well paying job. This next generation isn’t just aspiring beyond the walls of corporate America careers to digitally influence for a living, they are more broadly placing a greater emphasis on identifying clearer career paths. And according to the numbers, it's more than just the creator economy that is on the rise with Gen Z, it is now also a culture resurfacing the value, and reliability, of skilled labor.