‘Showing Up In Droves’ – Gen Z Trades Graduation-Caps For Hard-Hats

Authored by Mary Prenon via The Epoch Times,

With college costs climbing and artificial intelligence reshaping office work, a growing number of Gen Zers are turning to construction, a new report shows. According to industry professionals, “They’re showing up in droves.”

The share of Generation Z workers—those aged 18 to 28—in the construction labor force more than doubled from 2019 to 2023, rising from 6.4 percent to 14.1 percent, according to an Oct. 10 report by the Home Builders Institute.

The share of millennials (age 29 to 44) grew to 37.7 percent from 35.7 percent over the same period. Conversely, the share of Baby Boomers (age 61 to 79) dropped to 14.2 percent from 20.6 percent as older workers moved into retirement.

The median age of construction workers during this period was 42.

The escalating cost of college, competitive wages in construction, innovation in construction technologies, and growth potential are prompting the younger generation to consider a career in the industry, according to the report.

“Even as a slowing housing market has eased some pressure off the tight labor market, attracting skilled labor, especially younger generations, remains the primary long-term goal for the construction industry,” the report states.

As of the end of 2023, approximately 71 percent of the U.S. construction labor force consisted of Gen Xers and millennials.

‘Some Have College Educations’

Fraser Patterson, founder and CEO of Skillit, a New York City-based nationwide construction industry hiring platform, told The Epoch Times that the company’s data indicate a strong trend toward younger workers entering the industry.

“We have demographics on hundreds of thousands of workers and there’s a clear shift toward Gen Z and millennials,” he said. “Some have college educations and some have completed apprenticeships, but they’re showing up in droves.”

Patterson said that for years, college has been promoted as the singular approach to attaining a middle-class lifestyle.

“But with the cost of education today, we see more and more younger people entering the workforce after high school to earn while they learn,” he said.

For those without previous construction experience, trade schools or apprenticeships represent the most common path to a career in construction. Many companies are now starting to offer entry-level positions in which employees receive on-the-job training.

Construction Jobs Safe From AI

As more industries embrace technology, Patterson noted that many tasks are being taken over by AI or outsourced globally. However, he said that construction work is “hyperlocal and AI cannot replace skilled work requiring judgement and hands-on labor.”

Michael Culnen, founder and CEO of Vermont consulting firm Construction Concepts, agrees.

He said that many professional roles are increasingly moving to AI and cheaper global workers, but construction is still one of the few fields in which work is indispensable and resistant to automation.

“Unlike many professional roles, construction cannot be outsourced, automated, or entirely replaced by AI,” he told The Epoch Times. “It offers immediate income, tangible results, and stability without requiring years of schooling or accumulating debt.”

Culnen said he believes that many Gen Z men and women are choosing this field because it provides an accessible path to generating income quickly and securing a stable livelihood.

“This new trend comes at a time when the current U.S. labor workforce is aging out at an alarming rate and needs new young talent to train up into the next wave of skilled physical labor,” Culnen said.

Patrick Murphy, chief investment officer at Miami-based Coastal Construction, told The Epoch Times: “Younger people seem to have a whole different approach to construction today than when my grandfather and father were starting out in the industry.

“The younger generations seem to look at it from a tech perspective.”

Murphy noted that Gen Zers are eager to know more about a building’s “smart” features, as well as the design aspects.

This year alone, the company took on about 50 interns and often hired entry-level positions requiring no previous construction experience.

While jobs such as electrician, plumber, and other skilled positions require formal training, new construction employees with little or no experience can often learn on the job.

Wages Keep Growing

“Some of our highest-paid construction workers are making over $100,000 a year with just a high school degree,” Murphy said. “They can make a great living and it’s a tangible experience so they can see the results of their work.”

According to the Home Builders Institute report, wages in the construction industry continued to grow, often outpacing typical earnings in other industries. Quoting data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the report indicates that the average hourly rate increased by 3.7 percent in July from a year earlier, to $39.70 per hour.

Earnings varied across the country, with Alaska, the Pacific Coast states, Illinois, Minnesota, and most Northeast states recording the highest hourly rates.

As of April, 14 states reported average earnings of more than $40 per hour, with Alaska and Massachusetts averaging more than $50.

The report also shows that year-over-year, Nevada, Mississippi, Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and Montana reported the fastest-growing hourly wages in the construction industry, more than doubling the national average growth of 3.6 percent. Nevada reported the largest increase of 10.6 percent.

Among construction trades, elevator installers and repairers earn the top median salaries at more than $108,000 per year, with the top 25 percent earning more than $133,000. Plumbers and electricians earn up to $81,700, while pile drive operators typically earn at least $105,000.

‘A Respected Career’

Aaron Shavel, a civil engineer at the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, told The Epoch Times that the previous stigma around the trades is changing.

“Rising college costs and strong construction wages are making young people see this as a respected career, not a fallback,” he said.

“Union and non-union jobs in construction and infrastructure provide solid wages, strong benefits, and in many cases, six-figure earning potential.”

He also noted that the industry is in need of younger people to replace those who will be retiring soon.

“More than half of today’s construction workforce is expected to retire by 2036, even as demand keeps growing for people to build everything from energy projects and data centers to transportation and housing,” he said.

Shavel said he believes that the industry should continue to invest in training, apprenticeships, and other programs to encourage younger people to consider construction as their career choice.

Paul Iaccarino, director of the Building Trades Educational Benefit Fund based in Long Island, New York, operates one of the state’s largest apprenticeship programs for union electricians with the United Service Workers Union Local 363.

“This program exemplifies how non-traditional work experience can launch debt-free careers that are hands-on, mentally demanding, and resilient to automation,” he told The Epoch Times.

The program is completely free for apprentices, and as members of Local 363, they are paid as full-time employees. All costs for the program are picked up by the Building Trades Educational Benefit Fund.

The hands-on approach includes everything from installing Wi-Fi in subways one week to upgrading hospital energy systems the next.

“These young adults rack up thousands of hours of classroom and on-the-job training while earning full-time salaries, pensions, and benefits, without taking on a dime of student loan debt,” Iaccarino said.