WHAT THE DATA SAY: 78% see growing interest in trade jobs among young people

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

TRADE JOBS VERSUS COLLEGE

Blue-collar career paths are the latest workforce trend being embraced by Gen Z, according to a new Harris Poll study with Credit Karma.

• 45% of Americans don’t see the value in a four year college degree, rising to 52% for Gen Z.
• 78% say they’ve noticed a recent growing interest from young adults in pursuing trade careers.
• 23% who do not currently have a trade job say they plan to get into the profession – jumping to 50% for Gen Z and 42% for Millennials.
• The top factor influencing a trade career is work-life balance (43%), followed by job security and job availability (42%).
• Social media is playing a role: 10% of trade workers say seeing skilled-trade workers on social media influenced their decision to pursue a trade career.
• 1 in 10 say seeing stories on social media from people with corporate jobs who are struggling to make ends meet affected their decision.
• 61% believe a college degree will result in a well-paying job, yet 22% of those who went to a 4-year college are not making as much money as they thought they would.

NOT READY FOR RETIEMENT

Americans remain unprepared for retirement, based on our Harris Poll survey with Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

• 40% of Boomers are already retired, and more will leave the workforce this year than any year prior.
• Only 21% of the U.S. middle class are “very confident” in their ability to retire or maintain a comfortable lifestyle throughout their retirement.
• 40% worry they will outlive their savings and investments.
• 39% fear Social Security will be reduced or cease to exist in the future.
• These worries are casting doubt on Americans’ top retirement dreams, including: traveling (67%), spending more time with family and friends (58%), pursuing hobbies (51%), doing volunteer work (23%) and taking care of grandchildren (20%).

STREAMING VERSUS MOVIE THEATERS

Most streaming consumers still go to the movies, yet they need the promise of unique experiences to motivate them, according to new data from Roku and Stagwell’s National Research Group.

• 61% of streaming viewers say they have been to at least two movies in theaters during the past six months.
• 61% of moviegoing streamers said they would be equally interested in watching the release on the big screen or seeing it at home.
• 50% say some movies have to be seen on the big screen, such as Barbie and Oppenheimer.
• 46% go to the theater to watch a movie as a night out with friends, family or on a date.
• 43% prefer going to the theater because of the visual and audio quality.
• However, when it comes to costs, 62% say streaming is cheaper, 45% say it’s easier to watch at home, 59% like watching on their own schedule (59%), and 45% like the ability to pause and rewind at will.

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