Gen Zers’ blue-collar work goes viral

The Future. As Gen Z  increasingly chooses blue-collar jobs over university-educated, white-collar work, social media content showing their jobs is taking off and paying off. As young plumbers, electricians, and others find a new revenue stream by showing what they do regularly, the next wave of digital influencers may never quit their day jobs.

Hashtags and hard hats 
What’s paying Gen Z blue-collar workers more — their income or their social media revenue?

• 27-year-old electrician Lexis Czumak-Abreu makes $200,000 per year from her day-in-the-life videos and brand deals with companies like Carhartt and Klein Tools.
• 23-year-old plumber Evan Berns has turned his quick-cut plumbing videos into a viral sensation and deals with Neat Tools and Troll Co. Clothing.
• 27-year-old carpenter Matt Panella’s how-to and time-lapse videos have led to sponsorships with brands like 3M that bring in over $200,000 per year.
• 22-year-old framer Jarod Coffman’s videos have not only generated revenue but have also driven an increase in worker applications to his dad’s construction firm.

The dual-income phenomenon comes as blue-collar work grows in popularity. The National Student Clearinghouse found that enrollment in vocation-focused community colleges rose a record 16% last year, driven by higher pay in those fields — a new construction worker can now make more than a new accountant.

And with the hashtag #bluecollar on TikTok attracting 500,000 viewers in just four months this year, expect those jobs to only get hotter.