More Gen Z say no to university and desk jobs; rather pursue trades like plumbing and carpentry instead

SINGAPORE: The youngest generation in the workforce is proving yet again to have a different set of values than their elders.

It’s not that they don’t want to work; it’s just that they may no longer see the university or college and desk job pipeline as desirable as Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers once did.

The kind of work they want to do is described in a recent Fortune piece as traditional trades, which include welding, plumbing, and carpentry.

Data, at least from the United States, appears to bear this out. Enrollment numbers went up by 16 per cent in 2023 at vocational-focused community college, while the number of students in construction trades courses went up by 23 per cent, and for those studying in HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) and vehicle maintenance and repair programs, it increased by 7 per cent.

In large part, both students and their parents are realizing the opportunities trade school can give “with just a fraction of the debt, if any at all” many incur while pursuing a bachelor’s degree, Fortune quotes Mr Mike Rowe, who heads an organization that goes against the stereotypes and stigma aimed against jobs that don’t require a degree, as saying.

Student loan debt can run into the tens of thousands in the US, with the 2021-2022 graduate owing an average of US$29,400 (S$40,039).

Mr Rowe added that trade school can be “a clear path to something that looks a lot like prosperity.”

The Fortune piece added that the fastest-growing job in the US is wind turbine service technician, who can pay up to US$103,000 (S$140,000) per year. Moreover, one doesn’t need a college degree to get a job.

As for construction, in 2023, new hires received an annual salary of US$48,089 (S$65,506), while those in professional services only earned US $39,520 (S$53,833).

At the same time, trust in universities has reached record lows, and 24 per cent of people who have student loan debt have said it’s their biggest financial regret, Fortune added, though it noted in the piece that for those who want to bring in big bucks, college or university is still the primary path to take.

In Singapore, students who would like to take the traditional trade route will likely face bigger hurdles, given the gap between the salaries earned via white-collar and blue-collar jobs.

Blue-collar workers earn an average of S$3,034 per month, while white-collar workers earn between $4,500 to S$5,500 monthly.

However, early last year, an Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduate went viral for saying that he had earned only S$1,600 a month while he was making S$100,000 as a plumber per year in Australia. /TISG

Read also: ITE grad says he only earned $1.6K/month in Singapore but now makes $100K/year in Australia ‘just as a simple plumber’