By India McCarty
While many worry about the increasing influence of AI in the workplace, Mike Rowe sees it as an exciting opportunity for young people to explore trade jobs.
“I’d say that the skilled trades, in general, are on the verge of a renaissance, and that young people, in general, will be the primary beneficiaries,” he told Marin Magazine.
Rowe explained that there are still “stigmas” and “misperceptions” about skilled work, but “the cold, hard calculus of supply and demand is inviting people to look closer at many vocational opportunities, and those opportunities are very attractive right now.”
The DIRTY JOBS star explained that “calculus,” pointing out that “for every five tradespeople who retire, two replace them. It’s been that way for over a decade, and that ratio is obviously not sustainable.”
Related: Mike Rowe Breaks Down the AI-Proof Jobs
“Meanwhile, on the demand side, you have the sudden realization that the future of the entire AI economy is completely reliant on a skilled workforce,” Rowe continued. “We’re now on the verge of what many are calling the ‘greatest infrastructure project of all time,’ and the need for skilled tradespeople is about to become dire.”
He added, “In the near term, I think AI is going to fuel exponential demand in the trades, in much the same way the Internet fueled demand in coding and software design. Thousands of data centers are going to be built, like it or not. The energy industry, the construction industry, the shipbuilding industry and the automotive industry will be hiring skilled workers.”
Rowe has made similar comments about the impact AI will have on the skilled workforce. During a recent appearance on VARNEY & CO, he said, “I think we’re on the cusp of a revolution unlike anything we’ve ever seen…This new era is going to be a renaissance for electricians, steamfitters, pipefitters, welders, CNC operators.”
In another interview with Fox Business, he pointed out that AI might replace white collar jobs, but the technology isn’t “coming for the welders…the plumbers, the steamfitters or the pipefitters…the electricians.”
Rowe encourages young people to pursue these kinds of jobs through his foundation, mikeroweWORKS, which provides “work ethic scholarships” to those who want to learn a trade.
“We’re training welders and steamfitters and pipefitters and electricians and heating and air conditioning,” he shared. “Every day I talk to people who come through that path. They’re making six figures. They have no debt.”
Rowe finished, “I know I’m a broken record on this, but as higher ed continues to get a little wobbly up there, these other paths are going to look shiny and new.”
AI might have white collar workers worried, but Rowe hopes that the tech will change in how we view trade jobs — and lead young people to those careers.
Read Next: Why Mike Rowe Says We Need to ‘Think Differently’ About Skilled Work
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