AI threatens white-collar work, more young Americans choose blue-collar careers (www.cbsnews.com)

Young Americans are increasingly choosing skilled trades—electricians, plumbers, welders, HVAC technicians—citing rising college costs, student‑loan burdens and concerns about AI automating entry‑level white‑collar jobs. A Jobber survey finds 57% of Gen Z cite student debt as a deterrent to college and 77% say it's important their future job be hard to automate, viewing field trades as safer than roles in software, data analytics or accounting. The shift is reflected in apprenticeship enrollments, entrepreneurs like 23‑year‑old electrician Jacob Palmer (who generated $90K in year one and projects $150K in 2025), and more applicants for hands‑on programs in school districts. For the AI/ML community and labor policymakers this signals a structural labor response to automation risk: while AI can increasingly replace office tasks—sales, project management and routine analysis—field work remains difficult to automate. Supporting data include soaring college costs (avg. total cost per year ~ $38K, approaching $60K at private schools) and a rising jobless rate for 23–27‑year‑old college grads (4.6% in 2025 vs. 3.2% in 2019), compared with a much smaller unemployment rise for non‑college peers. Implications include greater demand for vocational training, new tooling and AI integrations that augment (rather than replace) trades, and entrepreneurial opportunities as younger workers build businesses around automation‑resistant skillsets.