Angi Survey Reveals Why Gen Z Women Are Choosing the Trades

This Women’s History Month, we’d like to recognize the progress young women have made in the trades. While the trades haven’t always been the most common career path for women, Gen Z women are starting to change the narrative. According to a new Angi survey, the trades have a lot to offer young women – from high job satisfaction to life-long entrepreneurial opportunities. Here are the top three reasons Gen Z women are choosing a career path in the trades:

Job Satisfaction

Gen Z female pros feel satisfied and accomplished with their work:  82% feel a sense of accomplishment at work at least sometimes. 

Most respondents would recommend their career path to others, indicating that working in the trades is an overall positive experience:

• 74% are likely to recommend career path to others (slightly higher than college grad Gen Z females at 70%)

Work/life Balance:

Work/life balance is an increasingly important factor to job seekers. Most Gen Z female pros said they have good work/life balance:

• 73% rate their work-life balance good (higher than college grad Gen Z females at 68%)

This good work/life balance leads to better mental health and lower stress levels:

• 61% say their overall mental health is good (a significantly lower number than Gen Z male pros at 72% but in line with college grad Gen Z females at 59%)

• 76% say their work does not negatively impact their mental health (a higher number than college grad Gen Z females at 60%)

• 26% never or rarely feel stressed about work (a higher number than college grad Gen Z females at 17%)

Growth Opportunities and Entrepreneurship:

The trades offer unique entrepreneurial opportunities, which is an important factor for many young job seekers. Many female Gen Z pros we surveyed already own their own businesses:

• Over 1 in 4 own their own business (26%) (a significantly higher number than college grad Gen Z females at 11%)

The respondents also reported ample financial and growth opportunities in their careers:

• 68% feel comfortable in their current financial situation (slightly higher than college grad Gen Z females at 64%)

• 69% feel they have enough upward mobility to achieve their desired salary (significantly higher than Gen Z females at 60%)

Methodology

This research report is based on a comprehensive survey of 800 Gen Z individuals, aged 18 to 27. Among them, 400 are employed in the professional services and trades industry, while the remaining 400 are college-educated or higher, working in fields outside of professional services and trades. Among the 400 working in professional services and trades, we spoke to 172 females and 228 males, and among the 400 who were college educated or higher, we spoke to 198 females and 202 males. This survey was conducted between August 12th and August 26th, 2024, and the survey panels were provided by Pollfish, a 3rd party survey and panel provider that delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. The sample targeted those aged 18 to 27 years old across the US, and no post sample weighting was applied.