{
  "id": 7318865,
  "title": "Good pay, high demand, no takers. The status problem behind America’s trades shortage.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/good-pay-high-demand-no-takers-the-status-problem-behind-americas",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-14T12:20:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/14/good-pay-high-demand-no-takers-the-status-problem-behind-americas-trades-shortage/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The skilled trades industry in the United States is facing a shortage of workers, despite high demand and good pay. Indeed CEO Deko Idekoba believes AI is not fast enough to replace skilled labor, but the real issue lies in the uneven impact of AI on different job sectors. While AI rapidly advances through office work, skilled tradespeople are retiring, and not enough young workers are interested in taking their place. Parents are not encouraging their children to pursue careers in trades like plumbing or electrician jobs, as these professions lack the respect given to skilled workers in other countries like Japan or Germany. To address this issue, Indeed's chief revenue officer, Maggie Hulce, suggests changing how young people, their parents, and educators view these careers. She emphasizes that people need to see the demand and salary for these roles to make informed decisions about their future. For instance, data center jobs for blue-collar workers pay 42% more than other positions. Moreover, AI is creating new hybrid job titles, such as \"AI autonomous truck test driver\" and \"AI safety operator,\" which require a skilled workforce. However, attracting and retaining talent for these roles is crucial, as talent acquisition teams often view open positions as a process problem rather than a significant business cost and revenue risk.",
  "summary": "Retirements, outdated perceptions, and a lack of career awareness are making it harder to fill in-demand jobs in the skilled trades.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}