Gen Z's Growing Interest in Trades and Construction

Between January 2019 and May 2024, the blue-collar workforce grew more quickly among workers in their early 20s compared with those aged 25 to 39, indicating a growing interest in trades careers from young people. To learn more about this trend and its potential impact on the trades and construction industry, Construction Dive spoke with Kit Dickinson, a construction industry executive at human resources management software ADP. He says:

“They’re seeing their peers go to traditional four-year colleges. They read all about tech layoffs and office jobs being replaced by artificial intelligence, about people coming out with a lot of student loan debt. So, that pendulum is swinging toward pursuing construction work for many of this generation.

They’re doing an effective job of touting income potential and growth opportunities and how technology is an active part of the jobsite, the impact that you can make to your community. All those things really resonate with Gen Z.”

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