“There are a couple of million AI-proof six-figure jobs open right now,” said Mike Rowe. “And people aren’t trained for them.”
The TV host best known Dirty Jobs spoke recently to the Wall Street Journal, in an interview for its Free Expression newsletter (1), about what he calls a looming skills crisis in the U.S. workforce.
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.
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.”
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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.
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.
Industry giants like Caterpillar (7) and Ford (8) are ramping up technical programs, creating pipelines of skilled workers for manufacturing, engineering and high-tech machinery.
The U.S. Department of Labor (9) notes that registered apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction, wages and provide nationally recognized credentials. The apprenticeship “get paid while you learn” model offers workers the opportunity to launch high-demand careers without necessarily drowning in student debt.
Rowe argues the traditional gap between “blue-collar” and “white-collar” work is becoming less relevant in an economy that is changing rapidly.
“The color of collars is over,” he said. “We’re entering a whole new world and it’s got new rules.”
Whether or not the future unfolds according to Rowe’s fears, the bigger trend points to a growing demand for practical, hands-on skills and a gap for skilled workers in those industries. Careers that combine technical training, adaptability and real-world problem solving could become increasingly valuable in the years ahead.
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Wall Street Journal (1); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2), (6); Associated Builders and Contractors (3); McKinsey & Company (4); Federal Reserve Board (5); Caterpillar (7); Ford (8); U.S. Department of Labor (9)
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