The U.S. trade industry is taking some serious hits as more people are becoming less interested in skilled work, according to reports.
NPR reported last week that the application rate for young people seeking technical jobs, such as plumbing, building, and electrical work, dropped by 49 percent in 2022 compared to 2020.
“For a long time, our society has not talked favorably about the skilled trades,” said Christine Cruzvergara, chief education strategy officer of online recruiting platform Handshake. “We’ve instead encouraged students to all go to college, all go to four-year institutions, graduate, go out into white collar jobs.”
For example, skilled jobs — like automotive technicians, equipment installers, and respiratory therapists, to name a few — saw on average 10 applications each in 2020 but only about five per posting in 2022.
Due to the fact that fewer individuals are drawn to these kinds of jobs, many people who do currently work in the trade business report feeling lonely as a result.
There is currently a huge demand for trade employees due to the insufficient supply. In addition, worries regarding the state of infrastructure if people continue to turn down positions in the trade sector are still quite serious.
The latest @BLS_gov jobs report is encouraging, showing an increase in labor force participation. The labor force grew by 439K in December after declining for 3 straight months, but we are still missing 2.95M workers. For solutions visit #AmericaWorks: https://t.co/3FunOHohc3 pic.twitter.com/N0uDzIGFpt
— U.S. Chamber (@USChamber) January 6, 2023
According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for August, job openings dropped to 10.1 million in August, making it the largest since August of 2020.
“July job openings rates decreased in 5 states and increased in 4. Hires rates decreased in 4 states and increased in 1. Total separations rates decreased in 6 states and increased in 2; quits rates decreased in 6 and increased in 5; layoffs and discharges rates increased in 6 and decreased in 4,” read the report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Despite the devastating job data, unemployment remains manageable. The Department of Labor reported in May that the unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, just above the lowest level in 52 years.
Paul Iversen, a labor educator with the University of Iowa’s Labor Center, hopes to encourage more Gen Z people to participate in the skilled trades.
“It used to be word-of-mouth,” said Iversen. “But there’s more of a need for carpenters, pipefitters, plumbers and electricians than you can fill with the family members of current people.”
