Gen Z skilled trades interest surges amid AI job fears

A national survey of young Americans suggests the career ladder is getting a new bottom rung. Thumbtack's third annual Future of the Skilled Trades Report finds nearly half of Gen Z respondents are either learning or seriously considering a skilled trade. The Gen Z skilled trades surge is driven less by romance for hands-on work than by worry: four in five respondents believe artificial intelligence will wipe out many traditional entry-level jobs.

The report, released in September, draws on two surveys: one of 1,000 young adults aged 16 to 30, and a second of 1,495 working contractors. The anxiety behind the Gen Z skilled trades interest runs deep. More than 80 percent of the young respondents said building a stable career has become harder than it was just a few years ago, and 92 percent said they have changed at least one part of their career strategy in response to the job market. About 53 percent said it is hard to find good professional jobs right now.

That unease is turning into real plans. Three in ten young respondents said AI has made them more interested in the trades specifically. Some 82 percent said the Gen Z skilled trades route offers better long-term job security than many office jobs, and three in four called the trades one of the smartest career choices their generation could make. Nearly one in five has already applied to or enrolled in a trade school or apprenticeship, and most respondents said they view the trades more positively than they did five years ago.

Why hands-on work looks safer right now

The professionals already in the field give reasons for that optimism. About 79 percent of surveyed contractors said they feel satisfied with their careers, with 46 percent pointing to growing demand and 45 percent saying they earn more now than a year earlier. Roughly eight in ten said they would recommend the trades to a young person, according to trade press coverage of the findings.

A workforce already changing shape

The shift is not only about school leavers. Among trades professionals with less than two years in the industry, 38 percent previously worked corporate or other white collar jobs, and 26 percent said burnout pushed them toward a career reset. Thumbtack chief executive Marco Zappacosta said the opportunity is to bring technology and the trades together rather than choose between them, arguing AI can help skilled professionals run stronger businesses and spend more time on work only people can do. Zappacosta added that the need for skilled labor is only becoming more urgent as AI reshapes the workforce.

Tradespeople are not running from AI

In fact, the Gen Z skilled trades story has a twist: the industry is adopting AI faster than the stereotype suggests. About 35 percent of surveyed professionals said they use AI regularly in their businesses, mostly for marketing, customer communication, and research. Among the newest pros, 52 percent said they use it routinely. Only 3 percent named AI replacing tradespeople as their biggest business concern. The real worries were different: 29 percent said workers need to develop real expertise before relying on AI tools, 24 percent pointed to preserving craftsmanship in a tech-driven era, and 33 percent said customers need help understanding the value of human expertise over AI-generated tips.

The timing matters for the industry side of the equation. Builders have been grappling with persistent labor shortages, and Builder Magazine described the report as a potentially encouraging signal for workforce development. Thumbtack also ranked metro areas by homeowner demand and by how few pros are available per capita, a map the company says can point new Gen Z skilled trades workers toward markets where customers are already waiting.

Interest is not the same as enrollment

The numbers come with a caveat. Tom Finan, executive director of the Construction Forum, noted the findings measure perceptions and interest, not how many young people will enter training, secure jobs, or stay in the industry. For employers, he wrote, the open question is how to turn that curiosity into actual careers. Whether the Gen Z skilled trades boom materializes will depend on wages, training access, and working conditions that keep new workers around.