Thumbtack Inc., an online referral company listing residential contractors for home improvement projects, recently released its second annual Future of the Skilled Trades Report. The report, released in September 2024, examined social media’s influence on Gen Z’s perceptions of the trades and their career plans, based on data from Gen Z, their parents and home services professionals.

The report revealed that two out of three (or three out of four with a college degree) admit their interest in the skilled trades increased due to social media. This is largely attributable to content showing real-life, on-the-job experiences tagged with #NoFilterWorkforce.

This trend is being encouraged by skilled trades professionals, 60% of whom say their careers are becoming increasingly “Instagrammable,” which is the top cultural shift they identified in their field.

It’s working: as posts increased 52% year-over-year on TikTok and Instagram, so too have views, with 77% of Gen Zers acknowledging they’ve noticed increased posting about the skilled trades on social media.

Increased visibility of popular day-in-the-life stories are shifting perception of and interest in the skilled trades, with 84% of both Gen Zers and their parents now expressing respect for the skilled trades. In addition:

• 67% of Gen Zers (including 78% with a college degree) indicate that social media has increased their interest in these professions.
• 55% of Gen Zers are considering a skilled trade career (including 72% with a college degree). That’s up 12% from last year.
• Social media has become the second-biggest influence on Gen Z in career choice overall, and the number one career path influence for Gen Z women. The number of men and women interested in the skilled trades is nearly equal in this generation: 52% of women and 57% of men report interest.

Factors beyond social media making the skilled trades look attractive include:

• Statements of satisfaction from skilled trade pros, with 89% indicating high job satisfaction—30 points higher than lawyers and 17 points higher than doctors, the only careers more respected than the skilled trades by Gen Z
• Economic security without the burden of hefty college tuition
• The realization by 90% of college graduates that a college degree is not the only path to success

  “Gen Zers are looking for careers that allow them to work and earn money right away, while pursuing a career they enjoy and learning new skills—qualities that the skilled trades deliver,” said Marco Zappacosta, co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack. “This is good news for both Gen Z and our communities: their interest in the trades will help to fill much needed gaps as plumbers, electricians and contractors retire, building much needed infrastructure and housing supply.”

Although 77% of parents would still encourage their children to attend a four-year college, social media has introduced the possibility of turning Gen Z into the “Toolbelt Generation.”