Young adults warming to construction trades as pay concerns ease

Young adults are showing more interest in construction trades, and that shift could soon change who walks into The Home Depot looking for tools, lumber and Pro help. A National Association of Home Builders special study found that the share of 18-to-25-year-olds interested in construction-trades careers doubled from 3% in 2016 to 6% in 2026, a modest figure on its face that still points to a meaningful change in the pipeline.

Pay was the biggest draw. In the survey of 2,000 young adults, 73% said good pay was a top benefit of a trades career, while 65% pointed to the chance to learn useful skills. The study also found that 30% of undecided young adults would take another look at the trades if pay were high enough, up from 18% a decade earlier. For store teams, that matters because the conversation on the floor is no longer just about selling material; it is also about helping customers and younger workers see a path into the industry.

The broader backdrop is still tight. NAHB estimated the United States had a structural housing deficit of 1.2 million units and said the industry will need about 2.2 million new skilled construction workers over the next three years to keep up with demand, retirements and departures. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that construction and extraction occupations will grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034, with about 649,300 openings each year on average, and put the median annual wage for the group at $58,360 in May 2024, above the $49,500 median for all occupations.

For Home Depot associates, that labor-market squeeze has a store-level consequence. A healthier trades pipeline can mean more future Pro customers, stronger contractor relationships and more chances to point job seekers toward careers that begin on a jobsite and can eventually lead to a small business. The company has already tried to build that bridge. Path to Pro launched in 2021 and includes PathtoPro.com, free on-demand Skills Program training in English and Spanish, and a Path to Pro Network that connects job seekers with Pro customers who are hiring.

The Home Depot Foundation said it invested $10 million in skilled-trades training in 2025, including a $1 million partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the company has said there were more than 400,000 open trade jobs in fields like carpentry, plumbing, electrical and HVAC. Home Depot’s 2025 annual report said knowledgeable associates are critical to the store experience, and that the company is backing that claim with training, product knowledge, process improvements and technology. As more young adults warm to the trades, that line between retailer and workforce pipeline looks likely to matter even more on the sales floor.