Skilled Careers

While professionals compete intensely for positions in oversaturated markets, significant opportunities exist in industries experiencing critical talent shortages.   Three sectors currently offer exceptional employment prospects with minimal competition:   Skilled Trades: Far from outdated "blue collar" work, today's skilled trades represent "gold collar" opportunities.   Master electricians, specialized plumbers, and HVAC technicians command premium rates, often exceeding traditional white-collar salaries while enjoying strong job security and entrepreneurial potential.   Healthcare Support: The expanding healthcare sector requires extensive support infrastructure beyond physicians and nurses.   Medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, and healthcare coordinators offer stable career paths with advancement opportunities and meaningful work impact.   Cybersecurity & IT Support: Digital transformation has created urgent demand for cybersecurity specialists, help desk professionals, and network technicians.   These roles often provide excellent entry points into technology careers without requiring computer science degrees.   The strategic advantage lies in pursuing opportunities where market demand significantly outpaces candidate supply, rather than competing in oversaturated fields.   For professionals open to exploring alternative career paths, these industries offer immediate opportunities, competitive compensation, and long-term growth potential.   What other high-demand, low-competition industries have you observed in your market?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #skilledtrades #healthcare #cybersecurity #careerstrategist

In my conversations with leaders, the debate around AI often centers on how it will impact traditional desk-based work. But today, as we release Randstad's latest global labor market research, a very different reality is clear: AI cannot build its own data centers. 🏗️🔋 The digital revolution underway has a massive foundation in the physical economy. Our new analysis of over 50 million global job postings reveals a significant shift in the labor market as companies race to build the infrastructure that makes AI possible: 📈 Hiring for skilled trades is now growing 3x faster than for professional roles. 🤖 Demand for robotics technicians has surged by 107% since the rise of generative AI. ❄️ Vacancies for HVAC engineers are up 67%. The real constraint on global economic growth isn't only about a shortage of chips, energy, or capital. It is the severe scarcity of specialized talent in the skilled trades. Today’s trades are highly specialized, digital-first positions. You cannot be a modern electrician or robotics technician without strong digital fluency. To secure our digital future, we must fundamentally re-rate the skilled trades as a premier career track and recognize them as the new knowledge workers. I invite you to dive into our new data to see why this physical bottleneck is the defining workforce challenge—and opportunity—of the AI era: https://lnkd.in/ez86jjVg

In my new piece for MarketWatch: Since the pandemic, the share of young workers in blue collar occupations has increased. In surveys, many said they were in the skilled trades for work-life balance, job security and job availability. They're not wrong — there has been a decline in job openings for knowledge worker roles on Indeed.com, and an increase in openings in blue-collar industries such as construction. Many Gen Z workers are discovering these opportunities through social media, where blue-collar influencers talk about the ability to build wealth in jobs that don't require a pricey college degree. This view, however, is incomplete. There is as much variation between blue-collar jobs as is there between blue-collar and white collar occupations. Some offer high pay and benefits and time off, and others don't. Some people start successful businesses, while others struggle to find steady work. For instance, average annual pay varies from $42,210 on average for woodworkers, to $67,810 for electricians, to $100,060 for elevator-repair workers. While many millennials felt misled to believe that everything would fall into place if they went to college (in many cases, by taking on loans), there are Gen Z workers who may similarly find the promise of opportunity in some of the blue-collar trades to not be everything they had expected.

We’re short on people. And we’re running out of time. After more than 50 years in construction, I’ve seen my fair share of ups and downs - but the numbers I’m seeing now are the toughest I can remember. As we move through '25, our industry is facing challenges I wouldn’t have believed possible a decade ago: - The workforce has dropped by over 10% since the pandemic. We’re now at the lowest worker-to-population ratio I’ve ever seen - just 29 construction workers for every 1,000 people. - We need over 250k new workers by 2028, and 50k fresh faces every year just to keep up. - Skilled trades are in crisis: we’re short by at least 225k hands to meet the country’s housing and infrastructure needs. - Material costs? Still all over the place - up 15–20% on average since the pandemic. - And 16% of construction businesses are reporting critical worker shortages -the second-highest in the UK. Here’s something you won’t see in the headlines: A lot of the old knowledge is walking out the door, and not enough is coming in behind it. It’s not that young people aren’t up to the job - far from it. The problem is, we haven’t made construction appealing enough, and we haven’t always taken the time to pass on what we know. Skilled trades aren’t something you pick up in a couple of weeks. They take years, decades, even, to really master. These stats spell out what many of us have been feeling on site for years: More pressure on everyone. Bigger gaps in the workforce. Not enough boots on the ground, or hands on the tools, to do the job the way we know it should be done. Construction’s never been easy. But unless we get serious - about training, mentoring, and making this a career worth sticking with, the problems won’t sort themselves out. Just my take, after half a century watching the cycle repeat. #construction #ukconstruction #skillscrisis #labourshortage #thecommercialmind

When I was in the RAF, I saw firsthand the critical importance of skilled STEM personnel to defence. As squadron commander, I watched as we lost highly skilled B-certified aircraft engineers to Amazon logistics hubs and the likes. So, I'm massively concerned about the skills shortages in the UK defence sector, but this challenge also presents an opportunity to seriously drive innovation and social mobility. We must get a grip of this to play our full part in rapidly rearming Europe and delivering the growth and security benefits of defence industrial strategy.    In my first article for War on the Rocks, I explore how Defence can act as an engine for social mobility, opening doors for underrepresented communities while addressing STEM workforce gaps. By embracing diverse talent pools and "zig-zag" careers between military and industry roles, we can rebuild a more resilient defence ecosystem that benefits society as a whole. This article is based on my submission to the Defence Industrial Strategy. While the examples cited are from the UK, many of our allies and partners are facing similar challenges, so the new Strategy could provide salutary lessons beyond the UK as well as for our own defence enterprise.    #Defence #STEM #socialmobility https://lnkd.in/eGn53GfZ  

Defence Capability Layers - Layer 4: Talent We keep talking about procurement. Faster, smarter, joint... As if signing contracts automatically creates capability. But there is a question we avoid: Who is actually going to build it? Who is going to design it, weld it, secure it, integrate it, test it, certify it, maintain it, patch it, defend it? Because procurement does not produce deterrence. People do. Layer 4 is about the part we rarely discuss - the talent layer beneath the industrial base. Europe is not out of talent. But the statistical reality is uncomfortable. We have: - shortages in engineering pipelines - severe cyber and ICT workforce gaps - underdeveloped RF and electronic warfare expertise - an ageing industrial workforce - welders, machinists and technicians retiring faster than they are replaced - security clearance requirements that shrink the hiring pool even further At the same time, we are trying to: - expand ammunition production - scale missile and rocket manufacturing - rebuild supply chains - increase semiconductor resilience - build sovereign IP - grow EW capabilities - strengthen cyber defence -and integrate complex systems across domains All of this requires people. Highly skilled people. And not just software engineers. We need: * systems integrators * electromagnetic warfare engineers * radio and spectrum experts * cyber specialists * propulsion and explosives engineers * advanced manufacturing operators * CNC machinists * composite technicians * secure systems architects * and yes - blue-collar brains who know how to physically build things These roles are not optional. They are structural. And here is the dangerous part- even today’s shortage numbers reflect yesterday’s needs. They do not yet reflect what scaling actually requires. If Europe wants to grow its defence industrial base, produce more, sustain more, integrate more, and reduce dependency, the real demand for talent is significantly higher than current statistics suggest. This is not only an HR problem. It is a political decision. Where does education funding go? Which engineering fields are prioritised? How attractive are defence careers compared to big tech? How fast are security clearances processed? How do we support vocational excellence? Do we invest in RF and EW expertise or do we let it atrophy? Talent is quiet. It does not headline policy announcements. It does not trend on social media. But without it, industrial promises become empty. Layer 4 article is now published below. Because deterrence is not just equipment. Deterrence is competence. #Defence #Security #DefenceIndustry #EuropeanSecurity #Workforce #CyberSecurity #ElectronicWarfare #Resilience #IndustrialBase #StrategicAutonomy #Deterrence

Australia’s Defence Strategy is clear on capability. Less clear on workforce. The 2026 National Defence Strategy outlines a $425B transformation of the ADF—across cyber, space, autonomous systems and long-range strike. It recognises the changing character of war, driven by AI and advanced technologies and it significantly increases workforce investment. But who will operate, integrate and sustain this capability? Because the shift underway isn’t just about platforms. It’s about moving to: + software-defined capability + AI-enabled decision-making + integrated, multi-domain operations That requires a fundamentally different workforce. One that evolves AT LEAST as fast as the capabilities its developing. Different skills in different combinations. Relying heavily on small numbers of highly specialised technical experts won’t scale to the size of the challenge. The opportunity sits elsewhere. In the existing workforce. Personnel with deep operational and domain experience, if (when) uplifted in digital and AI, represent one of Defence’s most powerful, and untapped, assets. This aligns directly with the Strategy’s emphasis on self-reliance. Because sovereign capability isn’t just about platforms. It’s about people who understand both the mission and the technology. Those people and skills live in uniform; industry; government. Its a national effort to rise to the occasion - so is our investment in national skills aligned or are we still thinking STEM degree enrolments is the answer...? The next phase of Defence transformation won’t be limited by funding. It will be limited by how quickly we can evolve the national workforce to meet the demand.

New research our today from my team Gusto: AI isn't just transforming white-collar work — it's boosting pay and hiring for skilled trade workers across America thanks to the boom in data center construction. We analyzed payroll data from 400,000+ small and mid-sized businesses to see how AI data center construction is affecting trades workers. Here's what we found: 💰 Workers in data center constructions hotspots earn ~7% more than similar workers elsewhere — even after adjusting for cost of living, occupation mix, and company size. 🔧 Plumbers and pipefitters see the biggest gains, earning 20% more in hotspot counties — driven by surging demand for cooling infrastructure. 📈 HVAC mechanics and drywall installers are seeing hiring surges — employment growth 41% and 112% faster in hotspots, respectively. 👷 The workforce building AI infrastructure is more diverse on average — Hispanic workers represent 31% of employees in hotspot counties vs. 24% nationally. 🧑🎓 Gen Z is showing up — slightly over-represented in skilled trade roles near data centers. The conversation around AI and jobs often focuses on white-collar job displacement. But the physical infrastructure powering AI is creating real, measurable benefits for America's skilled trades workforce right now. Full analysis: https://lnkd.in/gNzhNWSC

Why North Carolina's Military Economy should matter to you.... $8.55 billion in federal prime contracts came into North Carolina in 2024 alone. That means....jobs, career pathways, and long-term opportunity. According to the North Carolina Military Business Center heat map: 🪖 97 of 100 counties received federal contract dollars 🪖$4.23 billion came directly from Department of Defense contracts across 81 counties 🪖Contract activity is concentrated around major metros and military installations 🪖When you include military payrolls, the total economic impact approaches $80 billion annually, second only to agriculture in the state Why this matters to military career seekers: Hiring follows contracts. Federal and DoD awards drive demand for talent in operations, logistics, IT, cybersecurity, engineering, project management, HR, and compliance—roles where military experience translates directly. Geography matters less than skills. With nearly every county touched, opportunity is no longer limited to one base or one city. Employers tied to federal work value security clearances, leadership under pressure, and mission execution which speak to core military competencies. 🧠 Think long game. Contract pipelines create multi-year employment stability, not just short-term roles. North Carolina is not just military-friendly, it is military powered. If you are transitioning, separating, or exploring your next move, understanding where federal dollars flow helps you 🎯 TARGET employers, industries, and locations where your background is most valued. This is exactly where organizations like NC4ME focus. Your experience aligns with the economy here—by design. Passion=Purpose=Clarity Check out our website, select the right military designator, submit all your information and get matched to those specialty careers; www.nc4me.org Kimberly Lindsay Williams Lynn Kinney Katelyn Nixon Dan Watson, MS, Lean Six Sigma SSGI GB, SHRM-CP Merry Rainey

We’re starting to see a “labor flip.” AI infrastructure demand is driving a surge in skilled trade hiring. At the same time, new research from Randstad shows time to hire for skilled trades (56 days) has now surpassed knowledge work (54 days). For companies scaling AI, this is already showing up as a constraint. Building data centers, upgrading power systems, and maintaining infrastructure all depend on talent that is getting harder to find. At the same time, the nature of these roles is changing. Skilled trades are becoming more specialized and more digital, moving closer to knowledge work in both complexity and expectations. The gap is widening on both sides. Demand is accelerating, and the pipeline is tightening. Closing it will require a different approach to talent. More investment in training, upskilling, and how we position these roles in the market.