For its latest Perception of the Trades report, Endeavor Business Intelligence surveyed about 25,000 households’ attitudes about having a child or other family member start a career in the trades. The good news: Among households surveyed that were discussing career options, nearly 80% of respondents said they would be extremely likely to recommend a trade if that’s an option a child or family member was considering.
The trickier detail underneath that headline: While aircraft maintenance, automotive technician and brick masonry scored highest, the average ‘recommend’ score for the 14 industries we asked about was markedly lower than that 80%. That speaks to a need—and opportunity—for employers to provide a clearer understanding of the specifics involved in trade careers.
Among the report’s other highlights:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has improved people’s overall perception of trade careers: More than 68% of respondents said they now see such a career “much more” favorably than in 2020 and another 13% said their perception has become “slightly more favorable.”
- Suburban households have become much more optimistic about the prospect of a trade career. Two years ago, less than 42% of that cohort recommended the trades. This time around, that number had jumped to 50.1%.
