Are the home services trades losing ground in the battle for talent? Or at least the talent of the future?
That potentially worrying thought surfaced in the recently released 2024 Perception of the Trades report from Endeavor Business Intelligence, which like CONTRACTOR, is part of Endeavor Business Media. Researchers asked nearly 25,000 households their views on careers in the trades generally as well as in 14 specific jobs, including plumbing and HVAC installation and repair.
The very encouraging headline statistic: Among households discussing career options, nearly 80% of respondents said they would be "extremely likely" to recommend a trade to a child or family member. That is a significant increase from about 73% in 2023 and a strong signal that trade careers have a growing appeal in today’s tight labor market and in the face of rising costs for a traditional college education.
The troubling detail for employers looking for the next generation of trade workers: Asked about specific lines of work, households are far less enthusiastic. The average "extremely likely to recommend" score of the 14 trades EBI asked about was 36.6%, in line with 2023’s number and longer-run trends. Aircraft maintenance and repair scored highest at nearly 60%—it has had the highest Perception of the Trades for the past three years—but only two other trades, automotive technician and brick mason, also garnered an "extremely likely to recommend" rating above 40%.
For firms looking for the next generation of plumbing and HVAC talent, the numbers are below the 14-industry average. Less than one in three households—about 31% for plumbing and 32% for HVAC work—said they are extremely likely to recommend these careers. And those numbers are down from a year ago even as people’s overall view of trade work is improving. The perception of electrician careers also slipped this year, to 37% from nearly 43% in 2023.
That the average score per industry is static suggests many people do not fully understand which specific trades are most in demand and/or what skills are needed for those roles. There may indeed be a halo effect around the idea of a trade career but it appears many don’t have a clear understanding of the specifics.
“This discrepancy highlights the need for better communication and education about the opportunities in individual trades,” said Anthony Shaheen, a senior analyst with EBI’s IMR division. “The lower industry-specific scores show that while the idea of a trade career is gaining traction, there is still work to be done in helping people understand the details of these paths and the demand for certain skills.”
Some other high-level findings that surfaced from Perception of the Trades include:
- Households’ view of construction work climbed more than four points to 38.1%, which moved it above the industries average for the first time this decade. Only brick mason and crane operator rose more than construction from 2023.
- Young adults’ interest in immediately entering the workforce after high school has dropped to 25% from 33.8% in 2022.
- Rural households remain more inclined to recommend the trades—55.9% did so this year versus nearly 62% in 2022—but suburban residents have become much more optimistic about the prospect of a trade career. Two years ago, less than 42% of that cohort recommended the trades. This time around, that number had jumped to 50.1%.
