Mike Rowe Details Why Gen Z Is Ditching College For Big Money Blue-Collar Careers

“Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe told “Fox and Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt on Monday that many young people were deciding not to deal with burdensome student loans and choosing trade school instead.

Over two-fifths of Generation Z youth are attending trade schools, including over a third who have already obtained college degrees, according to a survey from Resume Builder. Rowe said many in Generation Z saw no reason to take on massive amounts of student loan debt.

“Gen Z has finally gotten the memo, starting your career with $200,000 [of] college debt is not a great idea. Far better than the estimation of lots of parents right now, is to learn a skill that’s in demand and go to work,” Rowe told Earhardt. “It really is just the math. It’s also the opportunity. We have talked about it before, but for every five tradespeople who retire right now, only two replace them. So we have a demographic problem.”

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“There is a shortage of skilled labor, there’s 7.6 million open jobs right now. And a lot of them as your previous guest alluded to, exist in the energy industry, the opportunity around data centers are enormous. Building submarines, automotive, nursing, there is just so many opportunities right now,” Rowe continued. “And it’s taken us 17 years at Mike Rowe Works, but you are turning around a tanker, you know, it’s misperceptions and stigmas and stereotypes. A lot of people are just figuring out for the first time that you can make six figures welding and plumbing and in electric. Tons of opportunity. It’s not a secret anymore.”

Rowe noted that the need for skilled workers even impacted national security, noting that the United States Navy was seeking people to help build the combat vessels it wants to bring online.

“There is always huge openings in the welding field,” Rowe told Earhardt. “Right now, though, I would say electricians, everybody I talk to is desperate to hire electricians, including the Navy right now. They are trying to get three nuclear powered submarines delivered every year. That whole ecosystem is hiring 140,000 skilled tradespeople.”

The job market remains relatively strong after a better-than-expected labor report in May, adding 139,000 jobs during the month. In April, 177,000 jobs were added during the month.