Blue-collar workers in high demand, short supply

Older blue-collar workers are retiring at increasing rates, but there's no flow of younger workers coming in to replace them.

While unemployment rates are still historically low, some industries are struggling more than others to find workers. Which part of the labor market is taking the hardest hit? Blue-collar workers, according to The Conference Board’s report, “US Labor Shortages-Challenges and Solutions.”

“In a span of 10 years, the U.S. economy moved from having the weakest labor market since the Great Depression to one of the tightest in history,” the authors write. “The result is a labor market with critical shortages, especially for blue-collar and manual services employers who are experiencing much tighter labor markets than employers of highly educated white-collar workers–the exact opposite of prevailing trends in recent decades.”

Katie Kuehner-Hebert

Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.

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