The US labor market is experiencing changes never seen before. Generation Z is leading the way in job changes motivated by the search for stability and job security. Inflation is also affecting both the amounts of wages and labour supply. This is why young people are redirecting their future to blue-collar jobs. Not only does it offer attractions such as making them more difficult to sustain by AI, but it also eliminates student debt. Young people want to secure their future and are replacing university studies with more practical training courses with better prospects for the future.
Resume Builder Survey
In May 2025, Resume Builder launched a survey among young people. The main objective of it was to study the impact of rising costs in Education and concern about Artificial Intelligence (AI). To do this, they interviewed 1,434 young people. The results have been overwhelming. The youth trend is marking a shift from traditional university studies to vocational training.
What is happening to Z Generation?
The results of the survey show that both the economic and technological factors with AI are decisive for young people. Generation Z members who have graduated from university say it has not helped them much. 46% of men are working or training for a skilled occupation. On the other hand, women account for 26%.
The most relevant data show that:
- Manual labor avoids student debt and the risk of being replaced by AI.
- Regardless of educational level, men are more likely to be employed in manual jobs.
- 42% of the Generacion Z (of which 37% have a degree), work or are actively seeking manual jobs.
There are also a number of practical aspects which young people take into account when choosing their future education and work:
- 16% said that their university degree was not the right one.
- Another 16% did not earn a decent salary with their degree.
- 19% found no job vacancies in their sector.
- 30% said that manual work offered greater long-term safety.
Other reasons
Apart from the main reasons reflected in the first part of the study, there are others. Young people only find arguments against continuing their working life in line with their academic training. The reasons, beyond being intrinsic, have to do with the current economic situation of your country. More and more jobs are being automated with AI. The offer of many jobs has also been reduced, and the ones which are offered, are low-paid. This is why Generation Z has to consider many other aspects when making decisions about its future.
Other reasons were given, including:
- Want to increase independence (45%).
- Choosing business careers with the highest demand (29%).
- Preference for practical work over office work (32%).
- Being replaced is less probable (25%).
- Known cases that have been beneficial (20%).
- Belief that more manual jobs will be generated by Trump’s tariffs (11%).
The interview shows how, despite having obtained a university degree, the vast majority of young people opt for a job that has nothing to do with their academic training. Resume Builder’s senior career advisor, Stacie Haller, stated that “More and more Generation Z college graduates are leaning towards professional careers, and rightly so”.
In the current scenario, young people are facing a very difficult situation. They must put the security and stability of their future ahead of what they really like to do. The importance and prestige of having a university degree fades in today’s labour market. Anyway, it is better to have a decent job with a salary that allows you to live, than to stay at home along with your prestige without being able to work.
Do you know which are the University degrees with lower rates? Find out here!
