As Americans turn to blue-collar jobs for stability, here's which ones offer the most security - and which offer the least

MW As Americans turn to blue-collar jobs for stability, here's which ones offer the most security - and which offer the least

By Venessa Wong

College affordability issues and tech layoffs have boosted interest in the skilled trades, but 'blue-collar work isn't necessarily insulated from other market forces'

Americans think blue-collar jobs are more stable. Here's what the numbers say.

As Americans' views about the value of a college degree are evolving, so are their views about the future of office jobs.

Many Americans (69%) say going to college isn't as important as it used to be to earn a good living, and 77% said trade jobs are more secure than office jobs, according to a new survey by NerdWallet. Previous surveys have found that the perceived value of college has dropped most sharply among young people.

While a majority of Americans view trade jobs as a more stable alternative to office jobs - particularly amid a slew of AI-related tech layoffs - and many are seeking alternatives to jobs that require a four-year college degree, U.S. employment data paint a more nuanced picture, with vastly different outlooks within the skilled trades by industry and occupation.

"Jobs in the information and professional fields - office jobs - have lost workers over the past few years," due largely to over-hiring after the pandemic, Elizabeth Renter, senior economist at NerdWallet (NRDS), told MarketWatch. While so-called "knowledge workers" are concerned about the future impacts of AI, "we can't know with certainty where AI is going and what jobs it may or may not displace."

While young Americans need a solution to the college affordability problem, the job outlook is uneven for both college grads and trade-school grads.

"Both white-collar and blue-collar job growth is stagnant."Sneha Puri, economist at Indeed

Young workers interested in going into the skilled trades or blue-collar occupations should be aware that "it's not necessarily more stable employment, and it is a really mixed picture," Chris Martin, senior economist at Glassdoor, told MarketWatch. "There's a lot more going on in the economy [besides AI replacement] and blue-collar work isn't necessarily insulated from other market forces."

Read more: The U.S. economy isn't cranking out many jobs. Here's why it might not need to.

Uneven outlook across skilled trades

In terms of skilled labor, electricians have added more positions than average since 2021. Growth for construction workers and plumbers is about average.

Demand for healthcare workers (which can require education and training, but not necessarily a four-year college degree) has been exceptionally strong in recent years, Martin noted, citing more recent federal data.

Demand for machinists, on the other hand, has fallen considerably.

"We are going to need plumbers and electricians and nurses and other trades ... but at the same time, you can't all be plumbers, electricians and nurses," Martin said.

Even if an occupation is growing, in some traditional union trades, there are wait lists to join them, he added. And after getting in, there may still be a wait list to get assigned to a job. Meanwhile, demand in some industries can vary greatly by season. For instance, demand for construction workers typically slows in the winter.

Other blue-collar roles, such as machinists and assembly workers, meanwhile, will continue to be negatively impacted by broader trends like globalization and outsourcing, he said.

Job growth (2021 to 2024)

-- Construction Equipment Operators (14.4%)

-- Electricians (14.1%)

-- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (11.2%)

-- Automotive Technicians & Repairers (10.2%)

-- ALL OCCUPATIONS (9.4%)

-- Construction laborers (9.2%)

-- Pipe layers, plumbers, pipe fitters, and steamfitters (8.6%)

-- Registered Nurses (7.7%)

-- Welding, soldering, and brazing workers (6.7%)

-- Carpenters (4.4%)

-- Electrical, Electronics, and Electromechanical Assemblers (-3.4%)

-- Machinists (-10.3%)

Source: Glassdoor, using BLS data

Job seekers should also keep in mind that some trades - such as manufacturing - are highly cyclical, Sneha Puri, economist at Indeed, told MarketWatch, meaning they are sensitive to trends in the overall economy. Despite strong demand for certain trades, "Many blue-collar sectors are currently seeing higher unemployment rates than white-collar sectors," she added.

Related: In today's job market, it's more 'show me a desk' than 'show me the money'

For instance, while the overall unemployment rate was 4.3% in March, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations had a higher rate of 6.8%, construction and extraction occupations were at 7.6%, and transportation and material moving occupations were at 5.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for management, business and financial operations occupations was 2.6% and 2.4% in professional occupations, a category that includes computer and legal jobs.

"In the end, stability depends less on collar color and more on the specific occupation, industry, and skills you build," Puri said. Hiring overall has slowed, and "both white-collar and blue-collar job growth is stagnant ... while the so-called 'pink-collar' roles in healthcare are continuing to show strong growth."

Where the job opportunities are - and are not

In its 2024 to 2034 employment projections, released last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said AI "is expected to contribute to declining employment of office and administrative support workers."

The "growth of e-commerce as well as the integration of AI systems in sales activities, such as in routine calls, chats, and analysis of sales, are expected to limit demand for many sales workers, leading to employment declines," the report said.

As for the trades, BLS said that "advancements in automation will also continue to reduce demand for production occupations," referring to workers who operate machines and other equipment to assemble goods.

The occupations expected to add the most jobs are medical and health-services managers (which generally require a college degree), nurses (may require a degree for advanced positions), data scientists (college degree) and information-security analysts (college degree).

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-Venessa Wong

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April 23, 2026 14:21 ET (18:21 GMT)

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