According to the Angi’s Skilled Trades Report 2024, workers in skilled trades such as construction, electrical, plumbing and HVAC report the most job satisfaction, with almost 90% of those surveyed indicating that they are somewhat or very satisfied with their job.
Similarly, last year, a BambooHR survey found that construction was the “happiest” industry, based on data gathered from January 2020 through June 2023 from more than 57,000 employees at more than 1,600 companies in a wide range of industries.
Reasons given for job fulfilment in the trades include the compensation, work schedule flexibility and finding “meaning and value” in their work. There are other intangible benefits, such as the “small business feel,” since most home trades jobs are with local businesses rather than big corporations.
Perhaps another reason for being happy with a profession in the trades is that most of those jobs are A.I.-proof. Only 11% of those surveyed expressed concern about losing their job to A.I.
In fact, just the opposite is occurring: there remains a labor shortage in the trades. While 66% of employers believe they could scale their businesses if they could find more workers, 40% are struggling to find people to hire to fill vacancies. There are currently 1 million fewer tradespeople in the workforce than there were in 2007.
Further complicating the situation, according to the report, is the fact that high school students aren’t being exposed to the trades as a career path and some still feel the sting of the stigma attached to blue collar jobs.
To tempt candidates, some employers are now offering higher wages, better health insurance, flexible schedules and other benefits—which, in turn, leads to happier, more satisfied workers, but still may not encourage enough young workers to join the field.
Angi Hicks, cofounder of Angi, remarked on the importance of the skilled trades: “We don’t want to be a country that has homes, but no plumbers. Yards, but no landscapers. Behind every home in America is a team of people taking care of it from the HVAC tech to the general contractor.”
Benefits of a career in the trades, according to the report, include:
- Decreased debt: by entering the workforce instead of attending a traditional four-year college, tradespeople save an average of $26,000 in debt.
- Higher earning potential: Electricians make an average of 29% more than employees in nonskilled trades. (Plumbers and general contractors also earn more, at make an average of 22 and 53% more, respectively.)
- Job security: Not only is there a labor shortage, virtually guaranteeing job availability, but the skilled trades are believed to be “A.I.-proof.”
- Autonomy: About 50% of skilled tradespeople are entrepreneurs running their own businesses.
Despite some challenges, the trades offer skilled workers numerous opportunities for steady, fulfilling and well-paying work.
About The Author
Lori Lovely is an award-winning writer and editor in central Indiana. She writes on technical topics, heavy equipment, automotive, motorsports, energy, water and wastewater, animals, real estate, home improvement, gardening and more. Reach her at: [email protected]