Gen Zers are steadily abandoning the college-to-corporate pipeline, opting for trade school and blue-collar jobs instead. They’re suiting up as electricians, plumbers, and carpenters for six-figure salaries—but there’s one thriving industry they’re still turning their nose up at.
Manufacturing is one of America’s hottest growing professions, with 3.8 million new jobs expected to open up by 2033, according to research last year fromDeloitte and the Manufacturing Institute.
Yet half of those roles are predicted to go unfilled. Just 14% of Gen Z say they’d consider industrial work as a career, according to a separate study from Soter Analytics.
Gen Z’s interest in degree-less manufacturing jobs should be obvious—after all, they’re already ditching cushy air-conditioned offices for blue-collar horizons. But they’re choosing to sit this one out.
That’s likely because a quarter of them believe the industry doesn’t offer flexibility and isn’t safe, as per Soter Analytics’ study—two non-negotiables for Gen Z, who value hybrid work and being cared for on the job.
