Television host Mike Rowe saw it all on the set of Dirty Jobs. The Discovery Channel reality series brought audiences into the worlds of some of the most physically taxing and messy trade roles. It explored the daily routines of sewer inspectors, the grimy yet essential work of septic tank technicians, and the grim conditions within custom meat-processing facilities.
Around the time he was hosting the show, Rowe launched the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, an organization dedicated to reemphasizing the value of skilled trades as an alternative to the traditional four-year degree. Through the foundation, he awards scholarships to people pursuing careers in the trades.
This year, Rowe is doubling the award size from last year to $10 million, as he said interest in the program is higher than ever. The 64-year-old said he’s received 10 times as many applications as he usually does since the foundation’s launch in 2008. Still, Rowe said it’ll take a massive effort to shift the national perception of trade roles, especially as AI places white-collar work on the chopping block
“You’re talking about turning around a tanker,” Rowe told Fortune. “It took a whole generation or more for the skills gap to get as bad as it is right now. And it’s going to take some time to fix it.”
In June 1979, manufacturing employment reached an all-time high of 19.6 million jobs. But since then, American culture turned its back on the trades. The rise of white-collar work made a college degree the expected path, and offshoring and free trade agreements through the turn of the century only accelerated that shift, leaving trade roles increasingly scarce.
But the tide is slowly turning. Some workers are betting on the trades over college as business leaders sound the alarm on a growing skilled labor shortage. Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison, for example, recently told Fortune the trades may be one of the country’s most worthy investments. “In a world where administrative and analytical occupations are going to be increasingly dominated with the acceleration of AI, we think the skilled-trades initiative is going to be even more important here in the near future,” he said.
Many Gen Zers today are rethinking the value proposition of a four-year degree. AI automation and economic pressures, such as inflation and tariffs, have created a perfect storm in which young workers are struggling to find an entry point into the labor market. The unemployment rate for recent college grads is now higher than the unemployment rate for all workers, according to data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Student debt has also piled up to a towering $1.83 trillion, a cost that’s hampered consumer spending and delayed homeownership for many graduates. For Rowe, the answer is obvious. Today, the U.S. has 6.9 million job openings, many of which are in the trades.
“The vast majority don’t require a 4-year degree, he said. “They require training.”
AI is driving Gen Z to the trades. But is it enough to fix the job market?
While Rowe is betting on the trades to solve Gen Z’s job market snafu, his solution may not address the full picture. There were about 1.1 unemployed people for every job opening in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, suggesting there are slightly more people seeking roles than there are available. That number has climbed steadily since the pandemic. But it remains far below the numbers experienced in the aftermath of the Great Recession.
Still, AI is motivating a flight to the trades on two fronts. For one, the technology is threatening to upend knowledge work. A recent study from Anthropic found that AI models today are already theoretically capable of performing the majority of tasks associated with engineering, business, finance, legal, and management roles. On the other hand, the nearly $700 billion AI infrastructure buildout has created white-hot demand for skilled laborers. Some projections show that the shortage of electricians could reach 300,000 within the next decade.
“In general, it’s Gen Z, they have gotten the memo,” Rowe said. “They’re taking a different view of college.”
It’s not just Rowe; that alarming shortage is prompting other companies to invest in the skilled trades. Lowe’s is investing $250 million to train plumbers, carpenters, and electricians. BlackRock is also supporting the trades with $100 million in investments.
To be sure, while unemployment among recent grads is rising, overall unemployment is still relatively low. Employers posted a better-than-expected 178,000 new jobs in March, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4%.
Of course, many of the trades Rowe’s foundation is helping aren’t going into some of the dirtiest roles featured in Dirty Jobs. Many are becoming welders, electricians, and mechanics. While his foundation has existed for nearly two decades, he said it’s only now that mounting student debt and a widening skills gap have caused national headlines to finally catch up to his mission.
“This foundation has been made relevant,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m not taking a victory lap, but it’s just very strange and surreal and kind of gratifying to see so many people talking about the issue.”
