Job expert pushes back on cultural 'stigma' having a 'disturbing' impact on skilled work, generational handoff

foxbusiness.com:

RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes speaks to Fox News Digital about the stigma attached to blue or mixed-collar jobs.

A cultural stigma around traditional «blue-collar» jobs runs alive and well — and could potentially hurt the next workforce generation and America’s infrastructure.

«You're not just a widget manufacturer. You're not just an excavation company. You are building America. You're building a future for your family. You're learning the work ethic that leads to good souls for your kids. There's more to it than just work,» RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes told Fox News Digital.

From electricians and plumbers to homebuilders and stonemasons, the U.S. labor market is seemingly desperate to fill skilled labor positions.

Since the start of this year, there have been more than 770,000 skilled job postings from nearly 95,000 different employers across the country, according to data from PeopleReady Skilled Trades.

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Data points from that same study indicate that demand for carpenters has gone up 23% from March to May, while stonemasons are up 45% and construction laborers are experiencing an 18% demand surge in the same time period.

«We don't have enough labor» in the skilled trades, RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes told Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)

The sudden demand boom likely comes from efforts to vertically integrate America’s supply chains after pandemic and geopolitical disruptions, Crapuchettes argued, but a crucial part of the puzzle is currently missing.

«Unfortunately, we have this cultural issue where a lot of the baby boomers, which are one of the wealthiest generations ever, is they've passed down to the next generation,