---
title: "Mike Rowe warns US workforce facing ‘problem of the decade’"
description: "Mike Rowe says CEOs are alarmed by a skilled trades labor shortage he calls the problem of the decade, a workforce issue relevant to debates on which jobs AI can replace."
kind: "wire"
section: "Work"
author: "Josh Alley"
author_url: "https://hastalavista.ai/authors/alley"
published: "2026-10-04T01:22:46.128Z"
updated: "2026-10-04T01:22:46.128Z"
canonical: "https://hastalavista.ai/work/mike-rowe-warns-us-workforce-facing-problem-of-the-decade"
source_url: "https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/mike-rowe-warns-us-workforce-facing-problem-decade"
source_name: "Fox Business"
---

# Mike Rowe warns US workforce facing ‘problem of the decade’

*Mike Rowe says CEOs are alarmed by a skilled trades labor shortage he calls the problem of the decade, a workforce issue relevant to debates on which jobs AI can replace.*

By [Josh Alley](https://hastalavista.ai/authors/alley) · October 3, 2026

Source: [Mike Rowe warns US workforce facing ‘problem of the decade’](https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/mike-rowe-warns-us-workforce-facing-problem-decade) — Fox Business

## Human take

*These are the author’s thoughts, made without AI and typed directly into our publishing software without assistance.*

AI will displace labor like no other technology in history. Will they migrate to the trades?

> Every week I get a call, either from a CEO of some big company or some consequential industry. And they're freaking out. This workforce thing is the problem of the decade, and it's not gonna go away until we come at it from a different angle
>
> — Mike Rowe

- Mike Rowe is no stranger to hard work, being a skilled tradesman and advocate for blue collar
- AI is coming for "mind work" first — the huge chunk of US labor market which is service-oriented
- The trades have long since been valued less than more traditionally higher-earning jobs
- That has created demand for tradesmen
- The field is now seen as fertile for labor displacement from AI