Gen Z increasingly sees skilled trades as a path to financial stability and AI resilience

by anthony_capkun_2 | 3 July 2026 11:53 am

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Just over half of current college students (52%) say the skilled trades feel safer than office jobs in an AI future, according to the SimplyWise Trades & Technology Index—a survey that tracks how young Americans think about the trades, higher education, AI, and career opportunities.

SimplyWise[2] publishes software for tradespeople and contractors.

The June index surveyed 1,140 Gen Z adults, aged 18 to 29, asking which careers are the safest as AI reshapes the economy. Respondents said they would be nearly as likely to choose trade school or an apprenticeship as a four-year degree if they were starting over.

Key findings at a glance:

• 52% of current college students say skilled trades feel safer than office jobs in an AI future.
• 66% of Gen Z would encourage a friend to consider a skilled trade.
• 34% of Gen Z identify trade school as the top path to financial stability by age 30 (versus 23% who would choose a four-year degree).
• 30% of Gen Z name skilled trades as the single most-respected career path today.
• 25% would choose trade school if starting over.

Gen Z has not turned against college, notes SimplyWise, but has stopped treating it as the default path to success. When asked which path is most likely to deliver financial stability by age 30, more respondents choose trade school or an apprenticeship (34%) than a four-year degree (23%). Nearly half (49%) say they would pick trade school over college if they were choosing today. Even among students already enrolled in college, one in three (35%) say the same.

At the same time, attitudes toward higher education remain nuanced. About half of respondents (49%) said a four-year degree is worth the cost. Yet when asked which path they would choose today if starting over after high school, Gen Z was almost evenly split between a four-year college (26%) and trade school or an apprenticeship (25%).

“The findings suggest that college remains highly valued, but no longer enjoys the clear preference it once did among young Americans,” says SimplyWise.

The survey suggests respondents see the skilled trades as among the occupations least vulnerable to AI, with hands-on careers consistently ranked as safer than knowledge-based professions such as software development, accounting, and graphic design.

The SimplyWise Trades & Technology Index also suggests that changing attitudes toward the trades extend beyond economics. Two-thirds of Gen Z (66%) would encourage a friend to consider a skilled trade, while only 10% said they would discourage it.

Seven in 10 respondents say their generation holds the trades in higher regard than it did a few years ago. Notably, when asked which single career path earns their respect most, skilled trades ranked first (30%), ahead of small business ownership (22%), academic and professional careers (12%), corporate careers (12%), and technology and AI careers (10%).

Respondents who know a college graduate struggling financially are significantly more likely to favor trade school over college, suggesting personal experience is shaping perceptions of post-secondary education.

The survey’s findings suggest many young Americans are rethinking long-held assumptions about education, career security, and economic opportunity, says SimplyWise[2].

“Across multiple measures, respondents viewed skilled trades as offering a compelling combination of financial stability, job security, and resilience in an AI-driven economy.”

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/news/gen-z-increasingly-sees-skilled-trades-as-a-path-to-financial-stability-and-ai-resilience/

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