"Quit Accounting, Became a 'Plumber' and Tripled My Salary" — In the USA, Blue-Collar Wages Surpass Office Jobs

[The Financial News] In the United States of America (USA), the so-called 'blue-collar billionaire' phenomenon is emerging, as wages for manual laborers are now outpacing those of office workers. While artificial intelligence (AI) is replacing many white-collar jobs, there is a shortage of skilled on-site workers, causing wages in these sectors to surge. Experts predict that Japan will face a similar situation within a few years.
On the 25th, TV Asahi reported in detail on the soaring wages in the USA's construction, energy, transportation, and manufacturing sectors due to labor shortages.

Specifically, the median annual salary for elevator and escalator technicians in the USA is approximately 152 million KRW, while those responsible for installing and repairing power lines earn around 132 million KRW. These figures are nearly double the average for all occupations.
The report also introduced the case of Ms. Mai Jung, who lives in California. After graduating from the prestigious University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), she worked in accounting. However, after experiencing a strained relationship with her boss, a friend suggested, "Since you're good at math, why not try plumbing?"
After visiting a training center, she was surprised to learn that even entry-level plumbers with no prior knowledge could earn more than accountants.
The change in salary was dramatic. While working as an accountant, her hourly wage was about 4,000 yen (approximately 36,700 KRW). After switching to plumbing, her hourly wage rose to about 12,000 yen (approximately 111,000 KRW). This translates to a monthly salary of about 1.9 million yen (approximately 1.74 million KRW), which is three times her previous income.

Her working hours also became shorter. As an accountant, she worked from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., but as a plumber, her day starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.
The return to manual labor is largely driven by AI. In terms of wage growth, blue-collar workers have overtaken white-collar workers. While tasks such as data analysis and information processing can be replaced by AI, making many office workers redundant, physical jobs like construction and repair remain difficult for AI to perform, resulting in ongoing labor shortages.
In fact, in the USA last October, AI accounted for 20% of the reasons for workforce reductions. Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company, predicted that AI will replace half of the USA's white-collar workforce.
The report also analyzed whether the high-wage blue-collar trend seen in the USA will appear in Japan. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the average annual income for jobs supporting social infrastructure—such as healthcare, nursing care, transportation, and construction—is about 4.36 million yen (approximately 4 million KRW). This is nearly 1 million KRW less than the 5.41 million yen (approximately 4.96 million KRW) average for other professions.
Due to this wage gap, labor shortages in each sector have become severe.

Looking at the effective job openings-to-applicants ratio, which indicates the number of job openings per job seeker, the overall average for all occupations is 1.18. However, security jobs such as police officers and firefighters have a ratio of 6.66, construction and mining jobs 5.18, and caregiving services 3.93, meaning there are 3.93 jobs available per job seeker in that field.
According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), if labor shortages persist, Japan’s real gross domestic product (GDP) could decrease by up to 76 trillion yen (approximately 697.77 trillion KRW) by 2040 due to a lack of essential service workers.
Yu Kashimura, chief researcher at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, predicted, "Within a few years, Japan will experience the same situation as the USA, and white-collar wages will stagnate."
However, Kashimura added, "Because Japan has strict regulations on dismissing regular employees, even if AI becomes widespread and jobs disappear, it will not be grounds for dismissal as in the USA. Instead, companies will likely reassign employees internally."
He also noted that jobs involving document preparation in front of a computer are expected to be most affected. "AI’s IQ already exceeds 140, making it smarter than most people," he explained. "Conversely, jobs like sales that require meeting people and negotiating cannot be replaced by AI."
The Japanese government has also begun to take action. In June, the State Council adopted a basic policy to improve the treatment of essential service workers. The plan is to foster on-site workers who can utilize AI technology, thereby boosting productivity and achieving higher wages.
Additionally, starting in 2026, the government will raise the monthly salaries of care workers and staff at facilities for people with disabilities by up to 19,000 yen (174,400 KRW) to narrow the wage gap with the industry average and alleviate labor shortages.
hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter