For years people have debated why there aren’t enough skilled workers to fill all the open trade work in the U.S., and this week there’s a simple question on R/Jobs asking a simple question: Because everyone is told to go to college, there’s a skilled labor shortage?
Many commenters say yes, the driving force for college is tense. One user recalled: "Graduated from HS in 2006. Anything outside of the university pipeline was a bad idea for me. Trade jobs and apprenticeship programs were talked about as if they were slave labor/scam."
Don't miss:
Another said: "As 2007 graduates, we were told at school to go to college. There was no discussion on the deal at all."
But this is only part of the puzzle. Many point out that skilled labor work brings real drawbacks: physical punishment for work, inconsistent working hours, and payments usually do not reflect the loss of the body to the body.
One user shared: "Graduated from college for 5 years and worked in the deal for 5 years. Destroyed my back and wrists. Now there is a comfortable office design job…I will never go back."
The most popular comment comes from a user who said, "People hear that's just joining the deal, you'll make 6 numbers memes without realizing that you didn't do much in your first few years, the work was tough and the time was cruel." They added, "Your knees, back and hands will look 40 and 75 at 40 and 75 at 50.
Trend: Ordinary American couple saves this money for retirement - How do you compare?
Others responded to this. Some say the risk of injury is much worse than office work: “It’s not a problem, it’s a question of when, depending on the severity of your work and the carelessness of others around you.”
A recurring theme is that when employers just don’t want to give better, employers often blame “labor shortage” on “labor shortage.” “There is no skilled labor shortage. There is only a lot of resume farming,” one user wrote. “Employers have the power to form the job market in the way they see fit.”
Another added that their company gave up half of its maintenance staff to keep production by forced overtime work, then claimed they “can’t find any skilled labor.”
As one person is most outspoken: "Yes, no. It's low wages. Especially in Oklahoma. Establishing the state to protect business owners and being able to take advantage of their employees."
See also: Hasbro, MGM and Skechers Trust This AI Marketing Company - Invested in IPO and now $0.60 per share.
Even those who are trying to trade say it's not that simple. Some say they applied for Steamfitter apprenticeship but had to wait several months before they could get the interview.
Another mentioned: “If you want to make money in any industry, you have to keep learning new things…but for workers who only have basic training, there is no money that companies have to pay out there.”
Although success stories do exist, they are exceptions. One user warned that high-paying league shows are rare. Most of these industries are above the fast food salary range.
Others highlighted systemic problems. High schools cut store courses, training programs are expensive, and some industries are still undesirable to women, minorities and LGBTQ workers.
As one person says, “College is now all-round. Everyone is forced to take out a six-figure student loan to get a piece of paper that doesn’t even guarantee their jobs, less success.”
Read the next article:
Image: shutterstock
Next: Change your deals with Benzinga Edge's unique market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights This can give you the lead in today's competitive market.
Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga?
This article "Yes, no. It's low wages", a worker responded to whether skilled labor shortages were just because "being told to go to college" originally appeared on benzinga.com
©2025 benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. all rights reserved.