By India McCarty
Mike Rowe says America is “desperate” for skilled workers who are willing to put in the time and effort to “build something great.”
“The energy industry needs 3[00] to 500,000 skilled workers right now,” he said in a recent Facebook Reel video. “Today, our country is desperate for men and women who got their toolbox together, who are willing to show up early and stay late, who are willing to climb the ladder and build something great for themselves, for their companies, and for the country.”
Rowe has long been a proponent for young people joining the workforce as skilled workers, encouraging them to explore trade school instead of enrolling in a four-year college that leaves them saddled with loans.
He has also been outspoken about AI and how it will likely have no effect on skilled labor jobs.
Related: Mike Rowe Raises Alarm Over This Trend in America’s Work Force
“We’ve been telling kids for 15 years to code. ‘Learn to code,’ we said,” Rowe said during an appearance at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit. “Yeah, well, AI is coming for the coders…[it’s not] coming for the welders…the plumbers, the steamfitters or the pipefitters…the electricians.”
While appearing on Fox News Radio’s THE BRIAN KILMEADE SHOW, he shared his fears about the lack of young people picking up trades.
“Every year, for every five tradespeople who retire, two people replace them. This has been going on for about 18 years, and the math has become so critical and so under-reported,” Rowe explained. “You can’t find a single major corporation today who relies to some degree on skilled labor [that] isn’t struggling to hire.”
However, Rowe sees the recent AI boom as an opportunity to reverse this trend.
“Short term, we are entering the golden age of plumbing, steam fitting, pipe fitting, welding, HVAC,” he told Fox News. “Those jobs are not going to be impacted by AI…And those are the opportunities that parents and guidance counselors ought to be zeroing in on.”
Rowe continued, “We don’t have an opportunity problem. And while we might have a skills gap, we also have a will gap. And if we don’t, if we don’t hit that thing head on, we’re going to just keep pushing the boulder up the hill, I’m afraid.”
Rowe’s message promoting the need for skilled workers is a very important as many worry about how AI will impact their own jobs.
Read Next: If You Want to Learn a Trade Skill, Mike Rowe Can Help
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +1Share:
– Content: +4