Skilled trades in the United States are expected to see sustained job growth over the next decade, with approximately 1.7 million job openings projected annually through 2035, according to a new report.
The recently released State of the Skilled Trades in America report estimates that more than 600,000 net new jobs in skilled trades will be created by the end of 2035.
The report was produced by Jobs for the Future and the Burning Glass Institute, two nonprofit organizations focused on expanding economic opportunities for Americans.
High-demand occupations that employers are struggling to fill include electricians, plumbers, maintenance workers, and carpenters, alongside dozens of other career paths.
Infrastructure Projects Drive Demand
Demand for infrastructure across the United States is one of the main drivers of new job creation in the skilled trades.
Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, told CNBC Make It that major infrastructure projects, including AI data centers, are driving demand for workers, alongside population growth in various parts of the country.
These growing areas need new housing, commercial developments, and expanded electricity networks, creating additional opportunities for skilled tradespeople.
This comes as the overall US unemployment rate reached 4.2% in September 2026, while nonfarm payroll growth fell short of expectations, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Retirement Gap
However, the number of new jobs does not capture the full extent of labor demand. The industry must also replace a large number of workers approaching retirement, Sigelman said.
Approximately one-quarter of workers across the 124 skilled-trade occupations covered by the report are aged 55 or older, while workers under 25 account for just 11% of the sector’s workforce.
Across the broader labor market, the labor force participation rate among people aged 55 and older has declined since 2024.
Sigelman said that one in every 12 skilled-trade jobs would need to be filled again over the next five years. He likened the industry’s effort to close this gap to “running in place,” as employers try to fill newly created positions while simultaneously replacing retiring workers.
The Stigma Problem
Despite the abundance of opportunities, skilled trades continue to face a degree of social stigma.
A study by the Ad Council Research Institute found that only 33% of students said they would feel respected by others if they worked in the skilled trades, compared with 50% who said they would expect the same respect if they pursued careers in healthcare.
The study included an online survey of 3,009 high school students and 2,501 parents of high school students, conducted between June and July 2026. The margin of error was ±1.8 percentage points for student responses and ±2 percentage points for parent responses.
Career Paths After Graduation
Despite what the study described as a moderate level of respect for skilled trades among teenagers, the findings showed that only 9% were considering these occupations as a career path after graduation. College remained the most popular option, with 56% of teenagers considering higher education.
At the same time, 71% of teenagers said they would feel proud to attend a vocational school, while 81% of parents said they would be proud if their children pursued careers in the skilled trades.
Significant Differences in Pay
Sigelman argues that treating skilled trades as a single category obscures the diversity of the 124 distinct career paths within the sector.
According to the latest available data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, some skilled-trade occupations pay less than the average starting salary of $56,153 for recent college graduates, while many others exceed that benchmark.
At the higher end of the pay scale, elevator and escalator installers and repairers earn a median annual wage of $109,910, while nuclear power reactor operators earn more than $122,890 a year.
Sigelman said the Ad Council Research Institute’s findings suggest that people are increasingly familiar with and respectful of skilled trades, but that “there seems to be a pathway awareness gap.” People, he added, still struggle to envision themselves or their children pursuing these careers.
Drop-Off Along Career Pathways
Even when young people choose to enter the skilled trades, the sector struggles to retain those who begin through postsecondary education or registered apprenticeship programs.
According to the State of the Skilled Trades in America report, fewer than half of those who start their careers through either pathway complete their training programs.
Five years after completing an apprenticeship or postsecondary education program, the share still working in the skilled trades falls to 29% and 34%, respectively.
Challenges in Retaining Workers
The report found that high dropout rates often reflect deeper structural challenges, some of which are inherent to the nature of skilled-trade work.
For example, project delays and adverse weather conditions can disrupt the working hours that carpentry apprentices need to complete, prompting some to leave their programs.
Aspiring plumbers, meanwhile, face a range of licensing requirements that can vary even within the same state, making it more difficult to work across state lines and even between counties.
“It’s a leaky pipeline, and we have to figure out how to do a better job of retaining the people who enter this field before we even try to increase interest in it,” Sigelman said.
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