CEO Says These Once Dead-End Jobs Are Actually Gen Z’s Best Chance At Success
New Africa | Shutterstock In an interview with Fortune, Sander van ’t Noordende, the CEO of Randstad, the world's largest talent company, encouraged Gen Z adults to forget about traditional office jobs and focus on careers in trades and hospitality if they're looking for success.
Gen Z adults have entered the workforce at such a weird time. Between the rising cost of living and a lackluster job market, the traditional career ladder has shifted considerably. The idea that the pipeline from a college degree to an office job no longer exists for younger generations and recent college graduates.
A CEO said that trades and hospitality, once considered dead-end jobs, are actually Gen Z's best chance at success.
"People need to reflect on — taking a student loan, going to college, and being trained or educated for a profession that is rapidly changing — whether that’s still the right path," Noordende told Fortune. "We all grew up with our parents saying, 'go do something in college or university and then do something in an office,' that path that used to work for a long time is starting to break."
Noordende explained that there is massive demand for skilled tradespeople, including mechanical engineers, machine operators, maintenance engineers, forklift drivers, and truck drivers. On the other hand, there are also jobs in hospitality that can bring success to Gen Z adults, too.
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"You already see that with the graduates finding it harder to find a job. You see that in professions like marketing, communications, design… just look at how good AI already is at some of that," Noordende continued. "Learn a craft or a trade or a skill or a profession, where you can make a good living and provide for you and your family, is much better advice than follow your passion."
It's incredibly hard for Gen Z to find jobs right now.
According to the education tech company Cengage Group, although 2 million people earned bachelor's degrees in the spring of 2025, just 30% of those graduates reported finding a full-time job in their field. An estimated 76% of employers reported hiring the same number or fewer entry-level employees in 2025 than in 2024.
Their reasons for not hiring were the restrictive job market, the rise of AI, and factors such as inflation and new tariff policies. Businesses also overhired during the post-pandemic period in 2021 and 2022. Then, of course, layoffs have been increasingly high, with 1.1 million job cuts announced between January and October 2025.
The unemployment rate for recent college grads has been steadily climbing since 2022, reaching a whopping 9% in September 2025, according to Federal Reserve Data.
Gen Z adults are turning to blue-collar work to find success.
Noordende encouraged Gen Z to consider skilled trade jobs, but it seems the tide has already been moving in that direction. An estimated 42% of Gen Z adults are currently working in or pursuing a blue-collar or skilled trade job, according to a report from Resume Builder. Of those, 37% have earned a bachelor’s degree.
In the survey of more than 1,400 Gen Z adults, men were significantly more likely to choose blue-collar careers, regardless of education level. Among those with college degrees, 46% of men are working in or pursuing skilled trades, as compared with 27% of women.
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"More Gen Z college graduates are turning to trade careers and for good reason," explained Stacie Haller, chief career advisor for Resume Builder. "Many are concerned about AI replacing traditional white-collar roles, while trade jobs offer hands-on work that’s difficult to automate. Additionally, many grads find their degrees don’t lead to careers in their field, prompting them to explore more practical, in-demand alternatives."
There's good money to be made in a skilled trade. Success doesn't have to look like climbing the corporate ladder anymore, even though that's what Gen Z adults have heard all their lives.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
