Blue-Collar Report Reveals Stigma and its Impact on Gen Z

Most (76%) Gen Zs agree a stigma is associated with going to vocational school over a traditional four-year university, according to Jobber’s Annual Blue-Collar Report: Gen Z and the Trades Need Each Other.

In turn, the U.S. housing stock is aging rapidly, with the median age of homes reaching 40 years old. This is a critical problem, as the U.S. is experiencing a labor shortage across most industries as labor force participation declines and the workforce ages and retires. In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that employment demands in trade industries are often greater than or pacing the 3% average of all occupations—representing not just a gap, but a growing chasm.

“If you own a home, you have a problem,” said Sam Pillar, Jobber CEO and co-founder. “While there is some renewed interest among the younger generation to pursue blue-collar careers, there’s still far too much work homeowners need done, and not enough workers to do it. We need to do a better job showing Gen Z how incredible the opportunities in the trades are and encouraging them to consider that path.”

Key findings, based on survey responses from 1,000 students in the U.S. aged 18-20, provide deeper insights into why Gen Z is not pursuing blue-collar careers and how society can encourage younger generations to consider them. Despite these growing stigmas and misconceptions, the report showed they actually might want blue-collar careers, and just don’t know it yet.

The “American Dream”

Gen Z has been taught to measure success through a white-collar lens, but AI, the economy, and layoffs are changing their minds. Their concerns around white-collar careers are clear:

• One-third (33%) of Gen Z said that white-collar desk jobs are less stable today than they were for their parents’ generation.
• 41% agree that the potential for AI to replace jobs has made it harder to achieve the “American Dream,” and 46% believe fewer jobs opportunities will exist in the future.
• 70% said they are not optimistic about the future of the economy.
• When asked what would make a trade career more appealing, Gen Z described what blue-collar professions already offer, including flexible work hours (73%), job stability (61%), and overtime pay (58%).

Caree letdowns

Parents have blue-collar blindness, schools fail to educate students on blue-collar opportunities, and Hollywood negates hard work, the survey found. Other findings include:

• 51% of Gen Z identify family as their biggest influence on the careers they chose to pursue.
• 61% said their parents haven’t spoken to them about vocational school—or even told their children not to consider it.
• 17% of Gen Z said they have been educated on the benefits of vocational training after high school. This was significantly lower than bachelor’s degrees, community college, military service, and entrepreneurship.
• More than a third (35%) of Gen Z said television shows and movies have influenced the careers they want to explore, and 47% described trade professionals as being generally portrayed negatively (incompetent, unhealthy, and/or unhappy) in shows and movies.

Women in the trades

While some workforces have evolved to accommodate the modern gender distribution of labor, the trades have yet to establish this balance.

• Nearly half (48%) of Gen Z agreed that women are discouraged from pursuing trade careers from a young age.
• 58% of Gen Z said that women face more discrimination within trade careers—compared to other career options. Yet, while most women (68%) believe this, only 47% of men do.