Over the years, society has praised young adults for graduating college and landing a white-collar job, making it seem like that’s the only way to be successful. With schools removing shop classes and guidance counselors emphasizing the importance of picking a major, few students even know there are other career paths available to them.

In this blog, we answer the question, “How bad is the labor shortage?” by taking look at the U.S. labor market as a whole. Then, we dive into the skilled trades labor shortage specifically, outlining five factors that contributed to the shortage. Finally, we explain how Skillwork can bridge the gap between employers looking for workers and workers looking for trade industry jobs.

In the bustling world of manufacturing, where complex machinery and equipment are the backbone of production, one crucial role ensures the smooth functioning, reliability, and safety of operations: Industrial maintenance technicians. 

Skilled trades are the backbone of the U.S. economy. However, there’s a shortage of tradesmen to fill essential roles in trade industries. Some reasons for this shortage include an aging workforce that’s retiring faster than people are entering the trades, a long-standing bias that favors college education, and a societal stigma that sees the trades as less prestigious compared to white-collar professions.

In this blog, we list eight trades and their salaries that exceed $60,000 per year based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are all high-earning trades that you can enter with just a high school diploma or equivalent. 

Are you wondering what skilled trades are in demand? Given the labor shortage, the trades, in general, need more workers. However, in this blog, we define what skilled trade jobs are and then discuss what skilled trades are in high demand based on the job outlook over the next decade.