Skills Group, New Zealand’s major private training provider, has its Director of People, Jane Kennelly, highlighting hairdressing, plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying, roofing, electrical work, and culinary arts as careers with exceptional long-term durability.
These careers depend on human judgement, dexterity, creativity, and on-the-spot decision-making—skills that AI can’t effectively mimic.
“AI can follow the recipe, but only a person can taste the soup,” Kennelly said.
“Whether you’re shaping hair, diagnosing a fault under pressure, adjusting the taste of a dish, working at height or reading a client’s needs – the real skill comes from interpreting the moment. These careers depend on people, not algorithms.”
The trades are also evolving amid a surge of new digital tools, a change that Kennelly likens to swapping spanners for scanners. Electrical apprentices, for instance, now commonly use tablets for fault diagnostics before grabbing their tools, merging digital skills with hands-on expertise.
Throughout the sector, smart sensors, drone imagery, digital blueprints, and AR/VR simulations have become routine in both training and daily work.
Industry estimates indicate New Zealand faces a current shortage of about 6,000 electricians, while Infometrics projects over 5,000 openings in plumbing, gasfitting, and drainlaying (PGD) roles by 2030.
Skills Group’s internal data reveals a roughly 16% drop in Electrical Level 4 apprentice enrolments from December 2023 to June 2025, alongside an 8% decline in PGD Level 4 enrolments.
“This imbalance between need and supply is one of the biggest opportunities for young people and career changers,” Kennelly said.
“If we don’t address it, New Zealand risks slowing down essential housing and infrastructure projects. These are not optional skills—they’re critical to how the country functions.”
Kennelly stresses that families require better insight into the future-proof qualities of the mentioned careers.
“Many parents still default to university as the safest pathway, unaware that some of the most secure, technology-proof careers sit within the trades.”
“These are specialist, future-focused professions that blend digital skill with real-world craftsmanship.”