Research Shows Over 50% Of White-Collar Workers Now Wish They Had Blue-Collar Jobs Instead
Burned-out white-collar workers are envious of those pursuing skilled trades.
Mangostar | Shutterstock In the past, a college education guaranteed a well-paying job. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case. Now, people spend thousands of dollars on higher education, only to make minimum wage or end up in the unemployment line.
As such, many of these white-collar workers are turning away from their office jobs and looking towards skilled trades instead.
Research shows that over half of white-collar workers wish they had blue-collar jobs.
TRADESAFE, a company that provides safety solutions to businesses, surveyed 1,000 office workers across the U.S. and the U.K. They found that 55% of Americans are contemplating ditching their white-collar careers for blue-collar jobs.
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Indeed defines a white-collar job as "a position typically performed in an office environment, involving clerical, administrative, or managerial duties." Traditionally, these jobs require higher education. Think positions in law, tech, finance, and other similar fields. Conversely, blue-collar jobs generally involve manual labor or trade-related work. Examples include construction, manufacturing, food service, transportation, and the like.
The survey found that those in tech, human resources, and healthcare most want to make the switch from white-collar to blue-collar work. And young people especially want to leave their desk jobs behind, with 59% of Gen Z saying they're seriously considering doing so.
This is partially due to the ever-increasing presence of AI. Over half of Americans fear losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence, and 61% of Gen Z white-collar workers report feeling vulnerable to AI. It makes sense why — resumes are no longer getting looked at by humans, jobs are becoming automated, and entry-level positions are disappearing altogether. However, AI cannot yet do many trade jobs, like plumbing and carpentry, leading white-collar workers to contemplate a career change.
Yet AI is not the only reason why many white-collar employees are rethinking their career trajectory.
Many white-collar workers feel burned out in their current positions.
TRADESAFE found that 57% of white-collar workers are burned out or highly stressed. New research from Moodle, conducted by the research firm Censuswide, puts that number even higher. They reported that 66% of American employees are experiencing burnout in 2025.
While unmanageable workloads and unfair treatment often lead to burnout, so does a lack of purpose. When work feels meaningless, boring, or routine, it's easy to lose any sense of motivation. A third of the white-collar workers surveyed said that their current job is not meaningful or fulfilling. They also noted that much of their time is spent "pretending to be busy" and dealing with "unnecessary administration or red tape."
Even still, 45% of white-collar workers admit to feeling social pressure to stay in their current careers. Gen Z is the most likely to feel this way, at 68%. "Most people have stayed in their white-collar roles because they need the income or financial stability (54%) or because they lack the skills or training for a trade job (45%)," the researchers reported.
The public perception of blue-collar jobs has changed dramatically, as of late.
There's long been a stigma attached to blue-collar work, and it certainly still persists. However, the tides are turning, and 50% of Americans surveyed admitted to "feeling envious" of people in skilled trade positions. Sixty-eight percent said that "society is beginning to value hands-on work more than office roles."
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Particularly, white-collar workers desire the physical movement and job security associated with trade jobs. Americans most envy chefs, firefighters, electricians, and carpenters.
Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side, and many blue-collar workers feel equally dissatisfied in their current positions. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, only 43% of blue-collar workers feel extremely or very satisfied with their jobs, and 15% say they are not satisfied at all.
"They feel less respected, are less attached to their jobs, and are more likely to view their jobs as just a way to get by, rather than as a career," the Pew Research Center said of blue-collar workers. "Just a quarter say they’re extremely or very satisfied with how much they’re paid, while a third are not too or not at all satisfied."
Given the current state of our economy and challenging job market, it seems that most workers are dissatisfied, whether they are white collar, blue collar, or something in between.
Audrey Jaber is a writer and associate editor with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
