Tradespeople Say They Can Get Satisfaction

A new study reports that nearly nine out of ten skilled tradespeople say they are satisfied with their jobs.

Job dissatisfaction may be a big factor in many lines of work but apparently not for skilled tradespeople. Nearly 90 percent of them say they are happy with what they do for a living. And unlike some workers, they don’t feel threatened by the coming of AI to their field. In fact, they are looking forward to it.

“Jobs across industries—from software development to media to research to education—could face job loss as a result of AI, but skilled home professionals are resting easy,” said Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angi, the home services company that issued the Skilled Trades in America report. “The significant majority have no concerns about AI taking over their jobs; in fact half of the pros we surveyed are excited to see how AI innovation can help them serve homeowners better.”

The report from Angi—previously known as Angie’s List and one of the leading companies offering services to homeowners—finds that two out of three trade professionals surveyed don’t feel threatened by AI and almost half said they believe it will help them do their jobs better. 

The job satisfaction, besides the security afforded to these positions, also comes from flexible work hours, pay rates and a sense of value in what they do, the study reported. 

The respondents did voice concerns about finding skilled workers to join their businesses, with two-thirds saying they have been unable to grow their businesses because of labor shortages. They said job perks like health insurance, higher wages and flexible work schedules were ways they would use to attract new workers. 

“We don’t want to be a country that has homes, but no plumbers. Yards, but no landscapers,” Hicks said. “Behind every home in America is a team of people taking care of it from the HVAC tech to the general contractor.” She said Angi was working to address these shortages, targeting under-represented groups like women through its Trade Up Initiatives program. 

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