By Michaela Gordoni
DIRTY JOBS’ Mike Rowe says America is in desperate need of people in trade jobs.
“There are a couple of million AI-proof six-figure jobs open right now,” said Rowe. “And people aren’t trained for them.”
It is “existential-alarm bell bad” if industries can’t keep up with critical infrastructure and manufacturing.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there are hundreds of thousands of jobs available in the manufacturing industry. And in 2024, the construction sector required over 500,000 additional workers in order to meet demand, Moneywise reported.
Rowe explained, “When we took shop class out of high school 40, 50 years ago, we sent a clear message to parents and kids that those jobs weren’t even worth looking at. At the same time, we pushed a four-year degree very hard.”
Related: Mike Rowe Shares How Trade Jobs Help This Often Overlooked Community
In a survey of 1,000 people aged 18 to 20, almost 75% said there is a negative perception around choosing trade school instead of traditional college.
The push for college degrees has created a $1.7 trillion in student loan debt.
“The color of collars is over,” Rowe said. “We’re entering a whole new world and it’s got new rules.”
Bring Back the Trades Inc. reported there will be 1.4 million jobs unfilled in just seven trade categories by 2030. That represents $325.6 billion in lost GDP by 2030 and $71.3 billion in lost tax revenue.
In January, Forbes reported that 30% of the US’s electricians are nearing retirement.
“I’ve spent more than 20 years building data centers and telecom infrastructure. At my company, if electricians don’t get the work right, 9-1-1 stops working. If HVAC fails, a billion-dollar facility goes offline. This work requires more than ‘good enough,’ and we’re running out of people who can do it,” explained Vertex Innovations founder Wayne Smith.
He added, “AI development has created the most aggressive data-center construction cycle in history, while putting white-collar jobs at risk. The math doesn’t work. We’re witnessing a surge unlike anything the industry has seen.”
Meta, Microsoft and Google have collectively announced over $380 billion in US data center development — but they will need more workers to help them run smoothly.
Smith said, “Even renewable energy projects are adding to demand, with solar technician and wind turbine technician roles among the fastest-growing jobs in America and wind tech roles projected to grow 50% by 2034…The technical trades are not declining. They are exploding.”
Culture has made college graduation seem like the goal for many young people, but the next time your friend or family member graduates from a trade school in a needed industry, you should clap just as hard. They are on a path to success — and America needs their skills.
Read Next: Mike Rowe Scholarship Sees Record Surge Amid Trade Crisis
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