The “made in America” agenda has been leading many of the biggest administrative changes and tariff upfolding right now. As a result, manufacturing jobs are expected to return to the country in the long run, but will Gen Z be willing to take up the work when the time comes? The manufacturing industry is expected to add 3.8 million new jobs to the market by 2033, which will mean a whole variety of trade jobs for Gen Z workers who will soon make up the biggest slice of the workforce.
Boomers will be left to the retirement jobs and positions that best utilize their knowledge and strength while millennials will continue to dominate the corporate world for years to come. As manufacturing jobs begin to present the only opportunities for young workers, some tough choices will have to be made on what is to come.
MANUFACTURING JOBS AND GEN Z: A MATCH MADE IN THE POST-TARIFF ERA
In the last few years, many Gen Zers are shifting away from college education and skipping straight to trade schools and labor work. There are many reasons for the shift. Some Gen Z workers no longer see the value of a college degree as educated workers are often stuck doing jobs that have nothing to do with their intended careers.
College degrees have also been seen as insufficient in actually preparing workers for white collar jobs. These degrees may bless students with textbook-based knowledge, but they haven’t entirely kept up with the times and expanded to provide Gen Zers with the workplace skills they need in a post-pandemic world.
GEN Z WORKERS ARE OPEN TO EXPLORING BLUE-COLLAR JOBS
In the last few years, Gen Z workers have developed a fascination for blue-collar jobs. These jobs have improved the pay and working conditions offered to workers, and in recent years, have also grown to be significantly more flexible. Workers are joining family businesses and starting their own, after embracing the DIY-er spirit and taking matters into their own hands.
Blue-collar work has become popular on social media platforms like TikTok, further inspiring teens to take an interest in building a career in fields like metal work and carpentry. Putting on a neon safety vest and pink rubber boots is now more of a fashion statement than the uncomfortable heels required in the corporate setup, so the shift in approach has been a big one.
Avoiding student loans by skipping college is just another one of the many advantages of switching to blue-collar work. The Gen Z workforce face many issues, but one thing they understand best is working on their own terms and expressing themselves creatively. Many blue-collar jobs offer just that.
WHY IS GEN Z AGAINST MANUFACTURING JOBS?
Research from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute shows that 3.8 million manufacturing jobs will flood the market by 2033. While this should be good news, for now, it appears there will be few takers. Fortune brought up another study by Soter Analytics, which showed that only 14% of workers would be willing to take up industrial work. If trade jobs are acceptable to Gen Z than why are manufacturing jobs not seeing the same support?
It has a lot to with the conditions of work at manufacturing plants. While the number of jobs may increase, there is very little indication that pay will increase as well. Manufacturing jobs are not known for providing financial stability, so it is unlikely that anyone will be too thrilled to take them up, Gen Z or not. Most workers in the field of manufacturing take home less than the average American salary of $66,600, despite working under strenuous and hazardous conditions oftentimes.
The Soter Analytics study also suggested that Gen Z workers will refuse manufacturing jobs because they fall short in two areas—flexibility and safety. The popularity of remote work and the rise of gig worker jobs has already told us that flexibility is an essential consideration for most workers, so it is unsurprising that Gen Zers feel the way they do about manufacturing jobs.
WILL THE US MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE BE REPLACED BY AUTOMATION?
If corporate, retail, and trade jobs attract all the Gen Z workers, employers might have no choice but to look at automation as the solution to their worker problems in the future. Even without these early signs that manufacturing jobs might not appeal to Gen Z workers, it is likely that many industrialists are exploring how to build factories that prioritize automation.
The relationship between tariffs and automation is an important one, as organizations are now investigating how they can best prepare for changing times. If bringing in products from the outside becomes too expensive, many will be forced to look into setting up their own manufacturing plants locally.
This is expected to take a few years at least, and will require heavy investments to set up. To future-proof their business against future changes, it is possible that AI and automation will lead the way for their upcoming manufacturing plants, with human labor kept to a minimum. Despite these claims that 3.8 million new jobs will open up in manufacturing, we may not see these numbers in reality.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE IMMINENT RISE OF MANUFACTURING JOBS
Close your eyes and point at any industry—the chances are high that a large number of its workers have been laid off there since the start of 2024. In the last few years, particularly in 2025, workers have lost their jobs in droves, having been pushed out into the job market by force and left to fend for themselves. Under such circumstances, the creation of jobs should be good news to workers looking for employment.
For many it is—any work that can put food on the table is better than no work at all. However, the conditions of the work and the benefits they offer also play a role. For years, corporate jobs have remained the target as top organizations offer competitive pay and benefits that vastly improve the quality of life. Many have also spent years building up their expertise in niche areas, hoping to find work that aligns with their interest.
Under these conditions, manufacturing jobs are not appealing to Gen Z, Millennials or any other generation looking for work. Many will still take up these opportunities when they come up, but improving the conditions surrounding the work will also be important for employers opening up new positions. Unhappy, unsatisfied workers don’t fit in to the recipe for a safe and productive workforce.
MANUFACTURERS WILL NEED TO PLAY NICE WITH GEN Z WORKERS
Baby boomers heading towards retirement or looking for easier jobs are unlikely to join factories despite how positively they may feel about bringing production back to the States. Corporate industries are not going anywhere and, at least in the short term, they are likely to stick to hiring majorly from among the Millennial workers.
As a result, employers will need to find some common ground with Gen Z workers to draw them into the manufacturing jobs more willingly instead of bringing them in out of desperation.
To read the full article as it appears on the HR Digest website, please click here.