The U.S. job market may have cooled from its high-altitude stage in May and June, but there’s one type of job that’s still thriving: blue-collar work.
Throughout the pandemic, there has been a surge of demand for blue-collar jobs, creating a market that has consistently been hotter than that of white-collar jobs. From construction to warehousing and transportation, blue-collar hiring has been surprisingly consistent and continues to offer competitive salaries, despite the downturn in other arenas.
According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, blue-collar hiring continued to outpace white-collar hiring during the month of June. In total, blue-collar jobs grew by 719,000 last month, while white-collar positions only increased by 399,000. This marks the fourth-consecutive month in which blue-collar job gains have outpaced their white-collar counterparts.
The growth of blue-collar jobs also carries with it more money than many may think. On average, blue-collar workers make twice as much as their white-collar counterparts in an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is despite the fact that blue-collar jobs require less education and experience as compared to white-collar occupations.
Moreover, the current pandemic-driven surge in blue-collar work has also resulted in more job opportunities for those with less education. For example, jobs such as grocery clerks, warehouse workers and transportation workers have seen substantial growth in recent months and can offer more job security than many other occupations.
Though the future of the job market remains uncertain given the pandemic, one thing is clear: blue-collar workers are in demand and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. As long as employers can offer competitive wages and job security, the opportunity to stay employed in the current job market will remain strong for those in the blue-collar field.
