The blue-collar industry is struggling to replenish its workforce with Gen Zers — those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s. Most simply don’t want to work in the industrial sector, which includes warehousing, distribution and other jobs critical to supply chain operations. Only 14% of Gen Zers would consider industrial work as a career, and 26% said they would only take on industrial work as a short-term career, according to a survey from the work injury information and data analysis firm Soter Analytics.
“It’s sometimes seen as not a very attractive industry for people to get into,” says Matthew Hart, founder and CEO of Soter. “A lot of people would much rather be working in an office or working with technology.”
Meanwhile, with a large portion of industrial workers aging out, there’s an increased sense of urgency.
That means business owners, who are typically from an older generation, have to up their game, Hart says. “They have to make their workplaces attractive and fun. It’s on employers to say, ‘How do we make our job cool?’ whether it’s the uniform, or the flexibility, or the technology that’s provided.” The Soter survey found 33% of Gen Zers said they want to work for a company embracing new technology. “I think there’s a big opportunity for companies to give [workers] the tools to increase their productivity themselves,” Hart says.
Rebecca Croucher, the SVP of the employment agency ManpowerGroup, argues new technology can for sure make blue-collar roles more appealing to Gen Zers who are looking for something outside an office job. She speaks from experience, because she has three kids currently in their 20s.
“Two of my kids don’t envision themselves sitting at a desk the rest of their life,” Croucher says. “I keep saying, ‘You need to learn a skill trade.’ I think there is a natural tendency to actually want to do physical or hands-on technical work.”
New technology doesn’t just make jobs cooler. There are other advantages, such as making warehouse operations significantly safer, reducing employees’ exposure to on-site injuries and risks by more than 50%, Hart says, adding that new tech can increase productivity by 3% to 4%.
“Increased productivity provides workers with the opportunity to earn bonuses and make more money,” Hart says. And 46% of Gen Zers interviewed for the Soter survey said that pay is the most important aspect of a job. Twenty-nine percent said they would be more likely to consider industrial jobs if they paid above-average wages for entry-level work. Also, 32% of Gen Zers said they would consider blue-collar work if the industry offered clear paths to corporate positions.
Aside from better safety, good pay and chances for promotions, Gen Zers also seek flexibility in their work schedules. But 26% of responders to the Soter survey said they did not believe industrial work offers flexible hours.
“I think flexible hours and better pay are equal to each other in terms of importance,” Hart says. “When it comes to companies getting ready to offer these opportunities to employees, they have to have the right systems in place.”
Hart says supermarkets and e-commerce warehouses will suffer if they can’t attract more Gen Z workers. Right now, Gen Zers make up 30% to 40% of the total workforce there, and the goal should be for Gen Zers to eventually make up 50% of the industry’s workforce, Hart says. in supermarkets and e-commerce warehouses.
Croucher agrees. “I would say today, it’s about 25%,” she says. “I would say they want to get it up to 45% to 50%.”
But the barriers to entry remain challenging. Croucher says obtaining the certifications necessary to enter the blue-collar sector can sometimes be as hard as getting a college degree.
“Even if you don’t go to college, you’re still going to spend two to four years learning to become a master plumber or master electrician,” she says. “One route is just more hands-on than academic.”
Still, Croucher says she remains hopeful about getting Gen Zers into the blue-collar workforce.
“With certification work and apprentice work, there are opportunities for Gen Zers to move up in the blue-collar sector like they would with a corporate career,” she says. “My hope is that Gen Z really embraces it more and more, while we as an industry create more awareness around this work and double-down on the efforts already being made.”
