{"id":6999,"date":"2026-06-05T16:10:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/?p=6999"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:10:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:10:02","slug":"graduate-job-market-gen-z-trades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/graduate-job-market-gen-z-trades\/","title":{"rendered":"The Proximity Effect: Gen Z Who Watch Graduates Struggle Are Turning to the Trades"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--\nYOAST META BLOCK\nfocuskw: graduate job market\nyoast_title: Graduate Job Market 2026: Gen Z Who See Grads Struggle Pick Trades\nmeta_description: New graduate job market data: 54% of Gen Z personally know a struggling college grad, and they are 13 to 20 points more likely to choose the skilled trades.\n--><\/p>\n<style id=\"sw-ti-hub\"> .sw-ti .sw-ti__chart .sw-ti__bar .fill{flex:0 0 auto!important}  .sw-ti .sw-ti__toprow{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:13px;flex-wrap:wrap;margin:0} 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a{font-size:13px;font-weight:500;color:#fff;padding:11px 18px;border-radius:999px;border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.25);} .sw-ti .sw-ti__acts a.primary{background:var(--accent);border-color:var(--accent);} .sw-ti .sw-ti__footer .divln{height:1px;background:rgba(255,255,255,0.12);} .sw-ti .sw-ti__footer .citelbl{font-size:11px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.66px;color:#94a3b8;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__footer .cite{font-size:14px;color:#cbd5e1;line-height:1.5;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__footer .legal{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;gap:24px;flex-wrap:wrap;font-size:12px;color:#94a3b8;} \/* RESPONSIVE 390 *\/ @media(max-width:760px){ .sw-ti .sw-ti__hero{flex-direction:column;align-items:flex-start;padding:56px 20px 40px;gap:32px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__hero h1{font-size:38px;letter-spacing:-0.9px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__hero-r{width:100%;border-left:0;border-top:1px solid var(--line);padding-left:0;padding-top:24px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__hero-r .num{font-size:72px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__nav{gap:18px;padding:0 20px;overflow-x:auto;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__sec{padding:36px 20px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__sec h2{font-size:26px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__cards{grid-template-columns:1fr;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__bar{flex-wrap:wrap;gap:4px 10px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__bar .lab{width:100%;font-weight:600;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__donut-row{gap:32px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__footer{padding:40px 20px;} .sw-ti .sw-ti__footer-row{flex-direction:column;align-items:flex-start;} } <\/style>\n<article class=\"sw-ti\">\n<section class=\"sw-ti__hero\" id=\"overview-top\">\n<div class=\"sw-ti__hero-l\">\n<div class=\"sw-ti__toprow\"><a class=\"sw-ti__back\" href=\"\/blog\/\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\">&larr;<\/span> Back to blog<\/a><span class=\"sw-ti__pill\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>JUNE 2026&nbsp;&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;TRADE INDEX DATA NOTE<\/span><\/div>\n<h1>The Proximity Effect: Gen Z Who Watch Graduates Struggle Are Turning to the Trades<\/h1>\n<p class=\"sub\">A data note on the graduate job market from the June 2026 SimplyWise Trades &amp; Technology Index.<\/p>\n<p class=\"standfirst\">The graduate job market is the toughest in years, and the cohort right behind those graduates is watching. New cross-tabulations from our survey of 1,140 Americans ages 18 to 29 show that personally knowing a struggling college graduate moves every major career attitude we measured, by double digits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"date\">June 5, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__hero-r\"><span class=\"lbl\">Lead finding<\/span><span class=\"num\">78%<\/span><span class=\"cap\">of Gen Z who personally know a struggling college grad would point a friend toward the skilled trades, vs 58% of those who do not<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"sw-ti__sec\" id=\"context-top\">\n<div class=\"col\"><span class=\"eyebrow\">The backdrop<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>A graduate job market that is leaving young degree holders behind<\/h2>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>The numbers behind this spring&rsquo;s graduation season are stark. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorkfed.org\/research\/college-labor-market\">college labor market tracker<\/a> put unemployment for recent college graduates at about 5.7% in the first quarter of 2026, well above the rate for all workers, with 41.5% of recent graduates underemployed in jobs that do not require a degree.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org\/2026\/06\/remote-work-leaves-younger-workers-sidelined\/\">New York Fed analysis published June 1<\/a> estimates that the rise of remote work explains roughly 64% of the recent increase in unemployment among young college graduates, as employers hesitate to train inexperienced hires on distributed teams. Economic research has long found that graduating into a weak labor market can scar earnings and career progression for years.<\/p>\n<p>Most of that coverage asks what the tough market means for the graduates themselves. Our data answers a different question: what is it doing to the people right behind them?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"sw-ti__sec\" id=\"findings\" style=\"background:#fff;\">\n<div class=\"col\"><span class=\"eyebrow\">Finding 1<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Knowing one struggling graduate moves every number<\/h2>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>In our May 2026 survey, 54% of respondents (612 of 1,140) said they personally know someone with a college degree who is struggling financially. That single fact splits the dataset. Compared with peers who do not know a struggling graduate, those who do are 20 points more likely to encourage a friend toward a skilled trade, 13 points more likely to say they would pick trade school over college today, and 17 points more likely to say the trades feel safer than office jobs in an AI future.<\/p>\n<p>None of these gaps require a media narrative to explain. They track with direct observation: Gen Z is updating its view of the degree based on what is happening to the degree holders they know.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__chart\"><span class=\"fig\">Career attitudes by proximity to a struggling graduate<\/span><span class=\"figsub\">% agreeing, among those who know a struggling grad vs those who do not<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Would encourage a friend toward a trade (knows one)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill accent\" style=\"width:88%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">78%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Would encourage a friend toward a trade (does not)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill\" style=\"width:65%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">58%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Would pick trade school over college today (knows one)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill accent\" style=\"width:64%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">57%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Would pick trade school over college today (does not)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill\" style=\"width:50%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">44%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Trades feel safer in an AI future (knows one)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill accent\" style=\"width:63%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">56%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Trades feel safer in an AI future (does not)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill\" style=\"width:44%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">39%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Degree not worth the cost (knows one)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill accent\" style=\"width:36%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">32%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__bar\"><span class=\"lab\">Degree not worth the cost (does not)<\/span><span class=\"track\"><span class=\"fill\" style=\"width:27%\"><\/span><span class=\"val\">24%<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"sw-ti__src\">Source: SimplyWise Trades &amp; Technology Index (June 2026), n=1,140. Knows a struggling grad n=612; does not n=363; unsure excluded. Q8, Q10, Q11, Q12.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"sw-ti__sec\" id=\"finding2\">\n<div class=\"col\"><span class=\"eyebrow\">Finding 2<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The people closest to the graduate struggle are still in the pipeline<\/h2>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>Current college students are the group most exposed to struggling graduates: 61% know one personally, compared with 54% of all respondents. They are watching the outcomes of the path they are already on, and it shows in their answers. Roughly one in three current college students (35%) say they would pick trade school if they were choosing today, 52% say the skilled trades feel safer than office jobs in an AI future, and 63% would encourage a friend their age to consider a trade.<\/p>\n<p>Among respondents who are unemployed and looking for work, 43% say they would pick trade school over college today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__cards\">\n<div class=\"sw-ti__card sw-ti__card--accent\"><span class=\"num\">61%<\/span><span class=\"cap\">of current college students personally know a struggling college grad (vs 54% of all respondents)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__card\"><span class=\"num\">35%<\/span><span class=\"cap\">of current college students would pick trade school over college if choosing today<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__card\"><span class=\"num\">52%<\/span><span class=\"cap\">of current college students say the trades feel safer than office jobs in an AI future<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"sw-ti__src\">Source: SimplyWise Trades &amp; Technology Index (June 2026). Current college students n=218. Q2, Q8, Q10, Q12.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"sw-ti__sec\" id=\"voices\" style=\"background:#fff;\">\n<div class=\"col\"><span class=\"eyebrow\">Voices<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>In their own words<\/h2>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>Asked how AI has changed their thinking about their future career, respondents repeatedly returned to the job market itself:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__pull\">&ldquo;I got a degree in Graphic Design but now everyone uses AI to do everything.&rdquo;<span class=\"who\">Survey respondent, age 18 to 29<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__pull\">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s making me worry about the job market.&rdquo;<span class=\"who\">Survey respondent, age 18 to 29<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"sw-ti__sec\" id=\"meaning\">\n<div class=\"col\"><span class=\"eyebrow\">What it means<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The graduate job market is doing the recruiting<\/h2>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>Skilled trades advocates have spent years making the case for trade school. Our data suggests the current graduate job market is making it for them. The strongest predictor of pro-trades sentiment in our dataset is not gender, career track, or media exposure. It is whether a respondent has watched a degree fail to pay off for someone they know.<\/p>\n<p>If unemployment and underemployment among recent graduates stay elevated, the share of Gen Z with a struggling graduate in their life will grow, and on this evidence, so will the share choosing the trades.<\/p>\n<p>Full findings, charts, and question wording: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/skilled-trades-survey-2026\/\">The June 2026 SimplyWise Trades &amp; Technology Index<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"sw-ti__sec\" id=\"methodology\" style=\"background:#fff;\">\n<div class=\"col\"><span class=\"eyebrow\">Methodology<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Methodology and limitations<\/h2>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>Figures in this note are cross-tabulations computed from the June 2026 SimplyWise Trades &amp; Technology Index dataset: an online poll of 1,140 U.S. adults ages 18 to 29, fielded via SurveyMonkey Audience in May 2026. The sample is a non-probability, opt-in panel and is not weighted to U.S. population benchmarks; results should be treated as directional. Subgroup sizes: personally knows a struggling college graduate n=612; does not n=363 (respondents answering &ldquo;unsure&rdquo; excluded from the comparison); current college students n=218; unemployed and looking for work n=153. &ldquo;Would pick trade school&rdquo; and &ldquo;would encourage a friend&rdquo; combine definite and probable yes responses. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. External labor market figures are from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and are linked where cited.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<footer class=\"sw-ti__footer\">\n<div class=\"sw-ti__footer-row\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"citelbl\">PRESS AND DATA REQUESTS<\/div>\n<div class=\"cite\">Cross-tabs and the full dataset are available to journalists on request: support@simplywise.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sw-ti__acts\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/skilled-trades-survey-2026\/\">Read the Full Report<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/simplywise-trades-technology-index-june-2026-press-kit.pdf\">Download Press Kit (PDF)<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"divln\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"citelbl\">CITE THIS DATA NOTE<\/div>\n<div class=\"cite\">SimplyWise (2026). The Proximity Effect: a data note from the June 2026 SimplyWise Trades &amp; Technology Index. Online survey of 1,140 U.S. adults ages 18 to 29, fielded May 2026 via SurveyMonkey Audience.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"legal\"><span>&copy; 2026 SimplyWise &middot; support@simplywise.com<\/span><span>Non-probability, opt-in sample. Results are directional.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&larr; Back to blogJUNE 2026&nbsp;&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;TRADE INDEX DATA NOTE The Proximity Effect: Gen Z Who Watch Graduates Struggle Are Turning to the Trades A data note on the graduate job market from the June 2026 SimplyWise Trades &amp; Technology Index. The graduate job market is the toughest in years, and the cohort right behind those graduates [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trade-index"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Graduate Job Market 2026: Gen Z Who See Grads Struggle Pick Trades<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New graduate job market data: 54% of Gen Z personally know a struggling college grad, and they are 13 to 20 points more likely to choose the skilled trades.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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