A growing number of Gen Z workers are choosing skilled trades over traditional corporate roles, creating a major opportunity for companies facing a skilled labor gap.
Talent acquisition leader Jeff Wiehardt explains that to connect with this generation, employers need to abandon outdated “post and pray” methods and build a modern talent strategy.
Wiehardt advises companies to modernize their outreach through digital platforms, invest directly in trade schools, and build an authentic employer brand to attract this new talent.
Companies should look inward, tapping into internal talent in addition to external talent sourcing.
Skilled trades have gotten a bad rap. For decades, a four-year degree was seen as the only path to career success, while trades were dismissed as a backup plan. Now, Gen Z is seeing through the façade, increasingly opting for skilled trades careers not as a fallback but as a deliberate choice for security, autonomy, and values alignment. For trades employers, it’s a wake-up call: adapt now or risk losing out on a new wave of talent.
We spoke with Jeff Wiehardt, a seasoned talent acquisition leader whose career is defined by building and scaling recruitment functions at major, diverse organizations like Quadient, Stifel Financial, and Ingersoll-Rand. Drawing on over two decades of experience at the intersection of HR strategy and business goals, he argued that the stigma once attached to the trades is dissolving, creating an unprecedented opportunity for companies willing to adapt. For Wiehardt, the key to attracting this incoming wave of talent lies in understanding the deeply personal motivations driving their decisions.
A perfect storm of retiring Baby Boomers and a smaller Gen X cohort has created a massive labor shortage in essential, hands-on industries. This demographic reality, combined with the appeal of AI- and recession-proof work, is making the trades more attractive than ever.
Recession-proof work: “There is a significant shortage of skilled workers in these fields, and the demand is constant. This is truly recession-proof work—pipes will freeze and break, and old buildings will always require rewiring, and that doesn’t stop just because the economy slows down,” said Wiehardt. “There’s just so much opportunity there, because those jobs need to be done no matter what.”
The problem, Wiehardt noted, is that most trades companies’ recruitment strategies are stuck in the past. To connect with a generation that lives online and values authenticity, leaders must move beyond the “post and pray” method and build a modern, multi-pronged talent strategy.
Start at the source: It starts with meeting talent where they already are. “Donating equipment to trade schools so students can work with industrial tools directly is a great way to build a connection with upcoming talent,” said Wiehardt. “Then when they graduate, they go to work with that company because they already know the equipment.”
TikTok for TA: That concept extends to the digital world as well. “Younger generations are always on their phones, and employers need to adapt to that. With a YouTube channel or a TikTok account, employers can utilize geo-targeting and deliver job ads to candidates based on demographic data.”
Connecting with communities: Wiehardt also suggested tapping into already-curated communities of potential candidates, pointing to organizations like professional groups of communities centered around women in skilled trades. “Instead of trying to reach candidates individually, you can partner with an organization that has already formed a community of potential talent,” he explained. “It’s a much more efficient way to get in front of the right audience.”
Attracting talent is only half the battle. In an era of flatter organizations, retaining and growing employees requires a new definition of career advancement. The most progressive-minded organizations, Wiehardt stressed, are looking inward to solve their talent needs.
The cooler full of fish: Wiehardt urged companies to consider their existing talent pool before turning the search outward. “When a new role opens up, our instinct is to put bait on the hook and try to reel something in. But you already have a full cooler ready to go,” he said. Skipping that step risks overlooking a company’s most valuable asset: the proven, dedicated talent that already exists within its own walls.
The message for leaders is clear: get ahead of the wave. This is not a temporary fad but a long-term labor shift. As technology continues to create volatility in some sectors, the enduring value of the trades offers a unique promise of stability. Companies that invest in authentic recruitment and build modern, flexible career paths will win the loyalty of a generation eager to build, create, and contribute.
A growing number of Gen Z workers are choosing skilled trades over traditional corporate roles, creating a major opportunity for companies facing a skilled labor gap.
Talent acquisition leader Jeff Wiehardt explains that to connect with this generation, employers need to abandon outdated “post and pray” methods and build a modern talent strategy.
Wiehardt advises companies to modernize their outreach through digital platforms, invest directly in trade schools, and build an authentic employer brand to attract this new talent.
Companies should look inward, tapping into internal talent in addition to external talent sourcing.
HR Consultant
Skilled trades have gotten a bad rap. For decades, a four-year degree was seen as the only path to career success, while trades were dismissed as a backup plan. Now, Gen Z is seeing through the façade, increasingly opting for skilled trades careers not as a fallback but as a deliberate choice for security, autonomy, and values alignment. For trades employers, it’s a wake-up call: adapt now or risk losing out on a new wave of talent.
We spoke with Jeff Wiehardt, a seasoned talent acquisition leader whose career is defined by building and scaling recruitment functions at major, diverse organizations like Quadient, Stifel Financial, and Ingersoll-Rand. Drawing on over two decades of experience at the intersection of HR strategy and business goals, he argued that the stigma once attached to the trades is dissolving, creating an unprecedented opportunity for companies willing to adapt. For Wiehardt, the key to attracting this incoming wave of talent lies in understanding the deeply personal motivations driving their decisions.
A perfect storm of retiring Baby Boomers and a smaller Gen X cohort has created a massive labor shortage in essential, hands-on industries. This demographic reality, combined with the appeal of AI- and recession-proof work, is making the trades more attractive than ever.
Recession-proof work: “There is a significant shortage of skilled workers in these fields, and the demand is constant. This is truly recession-proof work—pipes will freeze and break, and old buildings will always require rewiring, and that doesn’t stop just because the economy slows down,” said Wiehardt. “There’s just so much opportunity there, because those jobs need to be done no matter what.”
HR Consultant
The problem, Wiehardt noted, is that most trades companies’ recruitment strategies are stuck in the past. To connect with a generation that lives online and values authenticity, leaders must move beyond the “post and pray” method and build a modern, multi-pronged talent strategy.
Start at the source: It starts with meeting talent where they already are. “Donating equipment to trade schools so students can work with industrial tools directly is a great way to build a connection with upcoming talent,” said Wiehardt. “Then when they graduate, they go to work with that company because they already know the equipment.”
TikTok for TA: That concept extends to the digital world as well. “Younger generations are always on their phones, and employers need to adapt to that. With a YouTube channel or a TikTok account, employers can utilize geo-targeting and deliver job ads to candidates based on demographic data.”
Connecting with communities: Wiehardt also suggested tapping into already-curated communities of potential candidates, pointing to organizations like professional groups of communities centered around women in skilled trades. “Instead of trying to reach candidates individually, you can partner with an organization that has already formed a community of potential talent,” he explained. “It’s a much more efficient way to get in front of the right audience.”
Attracting talent is only half the battle. In an era of flatter organizations, retaining and growing employees requires a new definition of career advancement. The most progressive-minded organizations, Wiehardt stressed, are looking inward to solve their talent needs.
The cooler full of fish: Wiehardt urged companies to consider their existing talent pool before turning the search outward. “When a new role opens up, our instinct is to put bait on the hook and try to reel something in. But you already have a full cooler ready to go,” he said. Skipping that step risks overlooking a company’s most valuable asset: the proven, dedicated talent that already exists within its own walls.
The message for leaders is clear: get ahead of the wave. This is not a temporary fad but a long-term labor shift. As technology continues to create volatility in some sectors, the enduring value of the trades offers a unique promise of stability. Companies that invest in authentic recruitment and build modern, flexible career paths will win the loyalty of a generation eager to build, create, and contribute.
© 2025 Bamboo HR LLC. All Rights Reserved. BambooHR® is a registered trademark of Bamboo HR LLC
