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Trying to figure out which skilled trade career to go into? Make sure you take a look at which occupations are in the most demand first!
Nearly all careers in the skilled trades have an incredibly positive outlook over the next 20 years. This is partially because Careers that require a skilled trade are both very difficult to automate (like driverless cars, and grocery stores utilizing electronic cashier systems) and very difficult to outsource (like hiring software developers in India). This creates a ton of job openings because as the population and economy continue to grow, there is higher and higher demand for workers with a specialized skill.
The other thing that makes careers in skilled trades very in demand is the average age of someone working in skilled trade careers today is around 55. Compare that versus the average age of all working Americans, which is 44. Many who are working in skilled trades careers are closer to retirement age and will be exiting the workforce. This means that not only is there incredible demand for people working the skilled trades today, but it means there will be a huge demand for skilled trade workers for decades into the future!
Ok, but which skilled trades have the highest demand?
Even while all skilled trades generally have a very positive outlook, some are in much higher demand than others. The most in-demand careers in the skilled trades fall into a couple categories:
- Construction and Building Skilled Trades
- There has historically always been a very high demand for skilled trades workers in the construction industry, and this shows no signs of slowing down. Depending on which estimate you look at, there are roughly 600,000 job openings every month in the construction skilled trades world. There will also be more and more job openings as many of the workforce currently in skilled construction trades begin to retire.
- This includes skilled trades like electricians, welders, carpenters, heavy equipment operators, sheet metal workers, and plumbers
- Green/Environmental Technology Skilled Trades
- As the world puts more and more emphasis on curbing climate change, skilled trades careers in green, renewable, and environmental technology are becoming more and more in demand. As we shift our dependence away from fossil fuels, the world will need an entirely new generation of skilled trades workers to build, maintain, and operate these systems.
- This includes skilled trades like solar panel installers, wind turbine technicians, and other environmental tech positions.
- Medical Skilled Trades
- The medical field is under tremendous stress in the United States, primarily driven by the aging baby boomers and the emergence of pandemic-level viruses. As a result, there is massive demand for more skilled trades workers to heed the call and join the medical profession!
- This includes skilled trades like medical technicians, medical assistants, X-ray technicians, Phlebotomists, and home health aides.
What if I wanted to learn a different skilled trade than those 3 categories?
In general, the career outlook for nearly all skilled trade occupations is incredibly strong. If your passion doesn’t fall into one of those 3 categories, don’t be discouraged! There are still tons of amazing opportunities across all skilled trade professions. As long as you put your focus into learning a differentiated skill, you will always have the opportunity to earn money and have a rewarding career!
How can I see the projected growth of different skilled trades before committing?
It’s never a bad idea to research your choice (or your top 3 choices) for a skilled trade career before starting. You can browse all of the different occupations in the world of skilled trades, and see the projected career growth in your area, by clicking here!
