SAN FRANCISCO–Thumbtack, the technology company helping millions of people confidently care for their homes, released new findings today from its second annual Future of Skilled Trades Report¹ based on data from Gen Z, their parents, and home services professionals. With two out of three Gen Zers revealing social media has increased their interest in the trades (increasing to three out of four with a college degree), the new report spotlights this potential solution to the industry’s pipeline problem.

Gen-Z is increasingly turning to social media for career advice, drawn to content showing authentic on-the-job experiences, ultimately fueling the rise of the #NoFilterWorkforce. In fact, social media is the second-biggest influence over this generation’s career path—above teachers, siblings, and extended family. What’s more, Gen Z feels let down by traditional four-year degrees, with 90 percent of graduates feeling strongly that teens are incorrectly told college is the only way to be successful. This is leading to a major shift in how they are charting their future: as 80 percent agree, the skilled trades can be a better pathway to economic security than college, jumping to 93 percent among those with a degree.

“Gen Zers are looking for careers that allow them to work and earn money right away, while pursuing a career they enjoy and learning new skills—all qualities that the skilled trades deliver on,” said Marco Zappacosta, co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack. “This is good news for both Gen Z and our communities: their interest in the trades will help to fill much needed gaps as plumbers, electricians, and contractors retire, building much needed infrastructure and housing supply.”

Solidifying their moniker as the “Toolbelt Generation,” 55 percent of Gen Z is now considering a career in the skilled trades (up 12 points compared to last year), and increasing to 72 percent for Gen Zers with a college degree. This rising interest is directly tied to the growing popularity of day-in-the-life stories. In fact, 77 percent have seen increased attention to the trades on social media in the past year—primarily on TikTok and Instagram. All of this has led to a generation with universally high respect for and interest in the skilled trades, which opens new windows of opportunity for their careers and to redefine the future of the workforce.

Additional findings on Gen Z’s changing perceptions of the trades, their future career paths, and social media’s role:

• There’s near equal interest among Gen Z women and men in the trades (52 percent vs 57 percent respectively) – signaling a major shift from previous generations.
• 80 percent of parents agree learning a skilled trade can be a better pathway to economic security than going to college. Yet 77 percent of parents still say they’ve encouraged their children to attend a four-year college.
• 60 percent of skilled trades pros believe their profession is becoming increasingly ‘instagrammable’ – the biggest cultural shift in their industry.
• Skilled trade pros are overwhelmingly satisfied in their careers with 89 percent expressing high job satisfaction – 30 points higher than lawyers and 17 points higher than doctors, the only careers more respected than the skilled trades by Gen-Z.

“After serving in the military, college felt routine, and I quickly saw myself headed down a path where I’d be sitting in an office doing the same thing day after day,” said Jack Marquardt, Owner of Electric Avenue and a member of Thumbtack’s Pro Advisory Board. “Instead of going into debt, I completed an electrical apprenticeship and got paid throughout the four-year process. Being an electrician means that I’m able to set my own hours and no two days look the same. Best of all, I’m able to provide a needed service that helps people improve their homes.”

Finding and hiring young workers to join their business was the number one concern home service pros told us they’re facing today. Thumbtack is bringing attention to their needs and how the industry is evolving to help the hundreds of thousands of businesses on our platform grow sustainably. Read the full report here.

About Thumbtack

We’re Thumbtack, a technology company helping millions of people confidently care for and improve their homes. Our homeowners get personalized guidance on what to do and when to do it as well as who to hire from our growing community of 300,000 local service businesses. Every day in every county of the U.S., people turn to Thumbtack to complete small fixes, routine maintenance, and major improvements. With over 11 million 5-star projects and counting, we empower homeowners to take control and local businesses to grow. Accomplish more with Thumbtack.

¹Future of the Skilled Trades Report Methodology:

Gen Z Survey: This sample of 1,000 U.S. Gen Z’ers (aged 16-26) was surveyed between July 27, 2024 and July 29, 2024. Sampling was calibrated to obtain an equal sample of high school aged (16 to 18) and college aged (19 to 26) respondents. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post stratification has been applied to the results. Margin of error = 3.1 percent

Parents of Gen Z Survey: This sample of 1,000 U.S. adults was surveyed between July 26, 2024 and July 30, 2024. All respondents are parents to at least one child between the ages of 16 and 26, confirmed by both consumer-matched data and self-confirmation. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post-stratification has been applied to the results. Margin of error = 3.1 percent

Thumbtack Pro Survey: Sample of 1,233 U.S. adults, consisting of 805 completes and 428 partial completes, was surveyed between June 26 and August 2, 2024. All respondents are primarily employed in the skilled trades, via self-confirmation. Thumbtack conducted this survey via link sharing through their internal email list. No post-stratification has been applied to the results. Margin of error = 2.8 percent to 3.5 percent