The Future is Blue: Top 6 Booming Blue Collar Jobs in 2025
The demand for skilled tradespeople is soaring, driven by an aging workforce, massive infrastructure needs, and the reality that essential maintenance and construction jobs cannot be automated.
As Mike Rowe, the champion of the skilled trades, wisely put it:
"We've been telling kids for 15 years to code, 'learn to code' we said, yeah well AI is coming for the coders. They're not coming for the welders, they're not coming for the plumbers."
The following outlines the critical questions regarding the blue-collar sector and details the top jobs thriving in 2025, complete with their average salary potential.
Are Blue Collar Workers in High Demand?
Absolutely, yes. Blue-collar workers are in critically high demand across North America. This is due to a perfect storm of factors:
- The Retirement Wave: A significant percentage of master tradespeople are retiring, taking decades of expertise with them and leaving a massive skills gap.
- Infrastructure Investment: Government spending on updating and expanding roads, bridges, power grids, and utilities requires vast numbers of skilled workers.
- Resilience to Automation: Jobs that require complex problem-solving, physical dexterity, and on-site, non-repetitive work, like diagnosing a fault in a pipe or welding a custom joint, are essentially "automation-proof."
This high demand translates directly into competitive wages, strong benefits, and excellent job security.
In fact, in Canada, job vacancies in trades and transport occupations dropped by roughly 27,000 positions (-23.7%) in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier — a sign that the available labour pool is tightening fast as demand continues to surge.
What Job is Most in Demand in 2025?
The single most in-demand blue-collar job, based on sheer necessity and explosive growth trajectory, is the Wind Turbine Technician.
The global focus on renewable energy has created an unprecedented need for technicians to install, inspect, and maintain massive wind farm infrastructure. This role offers some of the highest projected job growth in the entire economy, ensuring plentiful work for the foreseeable future.
The demand for wind turbine technicians is projected to be extremely high due to the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector, with employment expected to increase by 50% from 2024 to 2034 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Top 6 Booming Blue-Collar Jobs in 2025
These specific jobs are projected to see the highest growth and offer great earning potential, making them the best career bets in the trades for 2025:
| Job Title | Primary Industry | Average Annual Salary (USD) | Why It's Booming in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wind Turbine Technician | Renewable Energy | $62,000 – $85,000+ | Highest projected job growth; essential for new power infrastructure and green energy mandates. |
| 2. Elevator/Escalator Installer & Repairer | Construction / Maintenance | $100,000 – $115,000+ | High barrier to entry and specialized skills; essential maintenance for all urban high-rises. |
| 3. Electrician (with EV/Solar Specialty) | Construction / Energy | $65,000 – $105,000+ | Driven by the EV charging infrastructure build-out and the exponential growth of residential/commercial solar. |
| 4. Commercial Truck Driver (CDL) | Transportation / Logistics | $60,000 – $90,000+ | Severe, persistent national shortage; they are the backbone of the supply chain. Specialized routes (Team/Oversized) pay over $100K. |
| 5. Plumber, Pipefitter, & Steamfitter | Utilities / Construction | $64,000 – $100,000+ | Critical for maintaining aging city infrastructure and installing complex systems in new high-density buildings. |
| 6. HVAC Technician | Building Services | $55,000 – $80,000+ | Essential maintenance for energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and climate control, especially with extreme weather events. |
Note: Salaries are average median wages for experienced tradespeople in the US, with top earners often making significantly more, particularly those who own their own business or work in unionized, high-cost-of-living areas.
Final Thoughts
Blue collar jobs, and the trades are taking off. With opportunity booming across every skilled industry, it’s never been a better time to build a career with your hands. Just make sure you’ve got the right gear to match the job. Certified safety boots are a must for protection and performance. If you’re on the tools every day, check out MooseLog’s CSA and ASTM certified work boots made for the people that keep our country running.
