Why Mike Rowe Says We Need to ‘Think Differently’ About Skilled Work

Published: January 22, 2026

By India McCarty

DIRTY JOBS’ Mike Rowe says the need for skilled workers “goes way beyond just the construction industry.”

“People call me, oftentimes industry leaders, saying, ‘Do you know where the tradespeople are?’” he said on an episode of VARNEY & CO. “The automotive industry needs over a 100,000 skilled workers immediately.”

Rowe added, “It goes way beyond just the construction industry.”

He also touched on the impact AI is having on many industries, saying, “The cohort of workers least likely to be disrupted by AI is going to be welders and electricians and steamfitters and pipefitters and energy workers and so forth.”

“‘Learn to code,’ they said. AI’s coming for the coders,” Rowe continued. “It’s not yet coming for the welders, and that basic understanding has taken root.”

He urged people to “think differently about the way we train the next generation of skilled workers,” saying, “We have to accelerate the way we teach the skills and we have to rethink, I think, virtually everything…into something more meritocratic.”

Rowe is one of the most outspoken voices in the conversation surrounding skilled work and trades.

He recently spoke at Housecall Pro’s 2025 Winter Virtual Summit, saying, “Real job security is not coding. It’s not the four-year degree. It’s actually the [HVAC] tech. It’s the electrician, it’s the welder. So the whole thing has turned on its head, making it a very interesting time for me to be alive.”

Rowe is working to encourage young people to train for skilled work positions through his mikeroweWORKS foundation.

“My goal with mikeroweWORKS is not to help the maximum number of people,” he told Fox Business. “It is to help a number of people who comport with our view of the world and are willing to go to where the work is; who are willing to demonstrate something that looks a lot like work ethic here in 2025.”

Companies are taking note of Rowe’s work; his foundation was recently awarded a donation of $100,00 from Aligned Data Centers, a leading provider of data center solutions.

“The need for skilled trade professionals in critical infrastructure sectors, especially data centers, is growing rapidly,” Michael Morris, Chief Development Officer of Aligned Data Centers, said. “Our partnership with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation is a direct investment in the future workforce that will build, operate, and maintain the complex, high-performance data centers essential for AI, cloud, and enterprise applications. We are proud to support an organization that champions the dignity of hard work and provides tangible pathways to rewarding careers in these important trades.”

Rowe is just one of many voices who are calling for the promotion of skilled labor jobs to young people, encouraging them to turn to trade work as AI shrinks the number of tech jobs available.

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