New Report Finds Nearly 90% of Skilled Tradespeople are Satisfied in Their Careers

Angi surveyed 1,200 skilled trade professionals for the 2024 Skilled Trades in America Report. This insightful report offers an in-depth view of skilled trade professionals’ attitudes, challenges, future prospects, and more. Most importantly, these findings highlight the high levels of job satisfaction in the skilled trades industry. 

Here are some key findings from the report:

• Safe from AI: While new AI technology is expected to disrupt many industries, 65% of surveyed pros believe that their job in the trade labor market is safe from being threatened by AI while only 11% have concerns. 
• Job satisfaction: Job satisfaction in the trades remains remarkably high, with nearly 90% of tradespeople satisfied with their choice of work, increasing from 83% since the pandemic. Pros cited finding meaning and value in their work, the overall compensation and flexible work hours.
• Labor shortage woes: Over 66% of pros agree that they would be able to grow their business if they could find more quality skilled workers, and nearly 40% of pros said they could not find employees to fill open positions. In order to attract employees, pros said they were offering incentives like health insurance, above average wages, and flexible work schedules. 
• Younger generation outlook: Nearly 70% of tradespeople view the labor shortage as a problem vs. 77% since the pandemic. Workers aged 25-44 tend to be more optimistic about the future of the shortage, yet they are more likely to say younger people are not joining the trades due to stigmas surrounding trade roles.
• Solutions: Pros cited the top two reasons for scant entrants to these fields as a lack of exposure to trade careers paths in high school school and historical stigma. Sixty-five percent of pros said increased investment in high school trade preparation programs would help address this; 54% felt more should be invested in trade schools.

Click here to view the full report.