With Generative AI disrupting the world of work the hot topic is how to choose a career that cannot be easily replaced by technology. Just maybe, some of the answer to that might come from the skilled trades. That was th topic of a column (read it here) that I wrote for the Globe and Mail recently, and it seems to be getting some reaction. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but some of the work tasks done within the trades cannot easily be replaced by AI, at least for the moment which is a pretty exciting in a world where once in-demand tasks no longer need to be done by human beings.

At the moment, there are not enough people in the trades and that has some economic repercussions as well. A May report on Canada by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) tied the issue to that of Canada’s well-documented productivity woes, saying that to deal with issues from climate to housing supply will need the right workers with the right skills. The whole thing is only to get worse as more and more boomers and Xers retire and there is a dearth of workers to replace them.

Skilled trades are not for everyone, but at the moment they deserve a long look.