Unclogging the Pipeline: Why Aren’t More Workers Flocking to Lucrative Trade Jobs?
By nearly every measure, trade jobs offer stability, good compensation, and satisfaction in the American economy. And yet, the workforce pipeline feeding them is fragmented, informal, and increasingly strained.
Inflation Is Keeping Older Workers on the Clock
Retirement levels are near historic lows, with an estimate of retirements sitting at 274,000—well below pre-pandemic norms. Many stay working for financial reasons, as 66% of workers 60+ who haven't retired say income needs are keeping them on the job. Inflation has impacted retirement plans for just under half of those aged 60+, the number one fear this cohort experiences.
The Retirement Cliff Is Coming, But Older Workers Are Ready to Help Businesses Land Safely
Older workers make up nearly double the share of the workforce they did 20 years ago, and many are willing to stay longer if employers offer a path to do so.
Retirement Realities
Many workers 60+ expect never to fully retire—and most say money is the reason.
Record-High Women’s Employment Meets the AI Stress Test
The US labor market is reshaping itself around AI, just as women’s employment reaches record levels. But the risks of AI-induced changes to occupations are not evenly distributed amongst workers. Brookings Institution research, confirmed by Anthropic, identifies roughly 6.1 million U.S. workers who face both high AI exposure and low ability to adapt if they are displaced. About 86% of these workers are women, concentrated in clerical and administrative roles.
Resilience and Momentum: Where Black Workers Are Gaining Ground in the U.S. Labor Market
The U.S. labor market has been through a great deal of turbulence in the past six years, and Black workers have felt that turbulence acutely. Unemployment gaps widened, wage gains were uneven, and economic uncertainty cast a shadow over household finances. And yet, something important is also happening beneath those headline numbers: Black workers are not just weathering the storm, they are steering the ship.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS) and ZipRecruiter's survey data paint a portrait of a Black workforce that is engaged, proactive, and forward-looking. That doesn't mean the structural challenges are gone, but it does mean that Black workers are increasingly writing their own stories of success.
The Healthcare pivot: Where workers can find opportunity amid a slow labor market
The current trajectory of the U.S. labor market reveals a striking reliance on a single sector for sustained growth. Over the past year, healthcare has accounted for approximately 69% of all national job gains. This concentration suggests that the industry is acting as a primary stabilizer for the broader economy, a role driven more by the structural needs of an aging population than by cyclical economic growth.
As demographic shifts continue to increase the demand for medical services, healthcare is positioned to be a permanent center of gravity for the American workforce. For workers navigating stagnation in other sectors or seeking to re-enter the market, this growth presents a strategic opportunity to pivot into a high-demand field.
ZipRecruiter Graduate Survey 2025
ZipRecruiter’s recent study of U.S. employers found that 76% planned to expand headcount in 2025, with 53% anticipating modest increases and 23% expecting more significant growth. Will these plans shake out? And how will that translate to hiring for the newest class of labor market entrants?
The class of 2025 expects to find work quickly, and many are beginning their job search well ahead of graduation. Yet for those who already graduated, the job hunt has often proven more protracted, salaries lower than expected, and the transition to work more rigid than they had hoped.
Holiday Hiring Trends: E-commerce Takes the Lead—Yet Again
The most recent job openings report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics appeared to foreshadow a weak 2024 holiday hiring season. Similarly, ZipRecruiter data on nationwide online job postings pointed to a slow start.
ZipRecruiter Annual Graduate Survey 2023
The Covid pandemic hit during their Freshman year, upending everything from classes and college housing to sports and campus jobs. Now—having endured setbacks, adapted, and persevered—the Class of 2023 is about to graduate and enter the workforce.
ZipRecruiter Annual Graduate Report 2022
ZipRecruiter’s inaugural report, “The Class of 2022: The Job Market Outlook for Grads” reveals that today’s graduates are entering a very different job market. There are lots of rewarding opportunities open to them, and employers are rolling out the red carpet to attract them. However, it’s not all roses—in-person internships are scarce and more competitive than ever. And inflation is packing a punch.