'Existential-alarm bell bad': Mike Rowe says there’s an apocalyptic number of people not getting into the trades

Rowe says the country could be heading toward a future that he described as “existential-alarm bell bad” if industries can’t find enough skilled workers to keep critical infrastructure and manufacturing running.

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping white-collar careers and that dynamic is forcing workers to rethink what a “good job” looks like.

How America ended up with a skills gap

Rowe says there are millions of open roles that don’t require a four-year degree, especially in construction, manufacturing and other skilled trades.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2) (BLS) says the U.S. has reported millions of job openings across the economy, including hundreds of thousands in manufacturing alone.

So where are all the workers?

Industries like manufacturing are facing a demographic squeeze, with many skilled workers aging out of the workforce and fewer young people entering the trades.

According to the Associated Builders and Contractors (3), the U.S. construction sector alone needed more than half a million additional workers in 2024 just to meet demand.

Rowe argues part of the problem comes from decades of messaging about education and career options, saying, “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.”

According to McKinsey & Company (4), it’s cultural stigma that still seems to be holding many young people back. In a survey of 1,000 Americans aged 18 to 20, nearly three-quarters said there’s still a negative perception around choosing trade school instead of a traditional four-year college.

Young people have traditionally been encouraged to pursue college degrees, one result being the U.S. now carrying about $1.7 trillion in student loan debt (5), according to a report by the Federal Reserve Board.

But the college approach isn’t the only path to success, especially since technology is shifting the job landscape.

“Everybody learned to code,” Rowe said. “AI is coming for the coders. It’s not coming for the welders. Not yet, anyway.”

What this shift could mean for the next generation of workers

Rowe believes that careers in the trades could be more resilient to automation in the future, with professions like welding, electrical work, plumbing and heavy equipment operation requiring physical problem-solving that machines still struggle with.

BLS (6) projects steady demand for some of the skilled trades over the next decade, including electricians, HVAC technicians and industrial machinery mechanics.

Apprenticeships and technical training paths are expanding

While traditional degrees aren’t going anywhere, some companies are betting on hands-on training, apprenticeships and employer-funded education to fill critical skills gaps.