From South Korea to the United States: Thanks to AI, blue-collar workers are becoming increasingly valuable

Artificial intelligence is rewriting the value logic of the labor market. The appeal of four-year university degrees, once seen as a "guaranteed ticket," continues to decline, while technical blue-collar jobs such as electricians, welders, and plumbers are seeing historic demand gaps and wage premiums. From vocational schools in the United States to semiconductor production lines in South Korea, a new generation of young people is actively reshaping their perspectives on education and careers.

This shift is strongly supported by data. According to a report released in June 2025 by the market research firm Validated Insights, revenue for U.S. vocational schools climbed 11.4% to over $19 billion, almost double the originally predicted growth rate. Meanwhile, according to Challenger, Grey & Christmas, a career consulting firm, the number of layoffs announced in the U.S. due to AI reached 38,579 in May 2025—a new record for a single month and accounting for 40% of all layoffs announced that month.

The replacement pressure AI exerts on white-collar positions, combined with the massive physical demand driven by data center and infrastructure expansion, is pushing both supply and demand in favor of technical workers. Labor experts note that these two forces together could fundamentally alter the prevailing global view—including in the U.S.—on educational and career paths.

This transformation is especially evident among the younger generation. According to a survey conducted by Resume Templates in January this year among 1,250 Gen Z adults, six out of ten plan to enter blue-collar fields by 2026, citing better long-term job security in the face of AI disruption as a primary reason.

Brady Colby, head of market research at the higher education and vocational training trend research organization Validated Insights, said interest in vocational education has shown steady, slow growth in recent years but “has truly exploded in the last six months.” He attributes this phenomenon to a dual drive: on one hand, young people are proactively seeking careers less easily replaced by AI; on the other, strong labor demand from infrastructure and AI-related facility expansion is providing an extra boost. “These days, it’s harder to recruit well-qualified technical professionals in some fields than it is to hire a computer programmer,” he said.

Behavioral analysis expert and The Ad Firm CEO Cyrus Kennedy describes this trend as “an intersection of mathematical reality and psychological shift.” “Gen Z has watched the older Millennials take on six-figure debt for degrees that cannot guarantee them jobs,” he noted. Kennedy also points out that this transition reflects growing fatigue among young people with “purely digital, screen-dependent forms of work.” In his view, technical professions offer not only immediate earning potential but also an entrepreneurial path that doesn’t require the financial strain of a four-year degree.

Mike Nager, author of “A Student’s Guide to Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0,” observes that the logic of four-year degrees as the default choice is coming apart. “In many cases, that option is simply not worth it anymore,” he said, calling for active industry intervention to close the “awareness gap” about technical professions through outreach programs.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in many cases, median salaries in technical professions have equaled or even surpassed those in jobs that require a four-year degree. Occupations facing the most severe shortages in 2026 include electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and heavy equipment mechanics.

Certified master plumber and 24hr.Supply certified HVAC technician Steven Morgan says the apprenticeship model provides a “learn while you earn” path instead of “paying to learn.” He also points out that this kind of work can neither be outsourced overseas nor replaced by software. “No one can replace a certified plumber with an app,” he said. However, Morgan also warns job-seekers not to underestimate the physical demands of these professions—"true high pay only comes after years of certification and hands-on experience."

In South Korea, this trend is even more direct. According to the Korea Herald, 96.4% of graduates from Chungbuk Semiconductor High School secure job offers upon graduation, with about a quarter joining Samsung Electronics directly. Last year, the average annual salary at Samsung was about $107,300. Under the latest labor union agreement, semiconductor department employees could get bonuses of up to $400,000 next year if profit targets are met.

The shortage of technical workers faces structural pressure. Georgetown University analysis projects that by 2032, 18.4 million American workers aged 55 to 64 with post-secondary education will retire, while just 13.8 million young people aged 16 to 24 with comparable education will enter the labor market—a gap of 4.6 million.

Meanwhile, data center and infrastructure expansion are fueling demand from the other side. Analysis from HR firm Randstad shows requirements for robotics technicians up 107%, HVAC professionals up 67%, and construction-related roles up 30%.

Faced with these gaps, companies and financial institutions are accelerating their plans. According to industry materials, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon announced a $24 million investment in submarine manufacturing and employee training, stating that major industrial projects like shipbuilding will need 300,000 electricians and welders in the next five to ten years. Meta has launched a $115 million "U.S. Workforce Academy" program focused on training data center technicians with guaranteed job placements. Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison announced a $250 million effort to train 250,000 technical workers in plumbing, carpentry, and electrical fields over the next ten years.

Despite increasingly clear market signals, technical careers still face significant inertia in social perceptions. Vocational education has long been associated with only physically demanding or low-wage jobs, a bias that continues to reinforce society’s reliance on traditional university pathways.

Philadelphia Institute of Technical Training states on its website that an increasing number of Gen Z youth are choosing technical colleges because these institutions offer “fast, practical education that leads directly to stable, well-paid careers.”

Cyrus Kennedy notes that the assumption of “low career ceiling” in technical professions is also being reconsidered. “In fact, technical fields are one of the fastest paths to business ownership,” he said. “An apprentice plumber or electrician doesn’t just learn how to fix pipes—they learn how to run a business.”

Both Brady Colby and Mike Nager emphasize that the natural increase in interest alone cannot fill the talent gap. Nager stresses that industry must proactively establish outreach and field exposure programs for young people to truly bridge the gap between public perception and market reality—a gap which, he notes, is one of the most stubborn roots of today’s labor shortages.