For the first time in a generation, tremors in the job market are hitting the boardrooms more than the boiler rooms.
Automation and AI are erasing white-collar jobs across the region while the demand for hands-on trades like HVAC is rising fast. That shift is landing squarely on Long Island, too, where contractors say it’s becoming ever-harder to find skilled labor.
Companies that depend on real, physical expertise are still seeing customer demand surge, even as the pipeline of new workers continues to shrink.
But this all amounts to a huge opportunity for young people and others looking to (or needing to) switch careers, experts say.
“We’re seeing fewer young people entering the trades at the exact moment when the work is exploding,” said Carmine Galletta, president and owner of GallettAir Inc., the long-running family heating and cooling company in West Babylon
“It’s a challenge not just for our company, but for the whole island.”
Shifting workforces
For years, fewer and fewer high school graduates have been entering trade programs, even as demand for heating and cooling work in particular has surged with new construction, an aging housing stock on Long Island and, more recently, buildings transitioning from commercial to residential.
That mismatch is hitting Long Island, given its proximity to NYC, especially hard.
“For years, blue-collar work was looked upon as a lower level job,” Galletta said. “It’s now a fact that in the very near future, highly skilled blue-collar trade workers will be able to set their salary scale, as they will be in extreme demand making it easier to find employment and most likely making more money per year than many of those in the white-collar job market.”
AI can’t do everything
What makes this workforce shift even more striking is what’s happening on the white-collar side of the economy. As artificial intelligence becomes a standard tool in offices across the region, entire categories of administrative and knowledge-based roles are shrinking or disappearing altogether.
Tasks once handled by full teams can now be completed instantly by software. Law firms, accounting offices, financial institutions and media organizations are consolidating faster than ever.
Meanwhile, careers that rely on hands-on skill (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, construction) are seeing demand skyrocket because this work cannot be automated.
“Regardless of how far technology has advanced we will always need customer service staff to answer and schedule the calls, the service techs to go out and perform diagnosis and repair, as well as a parts person to order and pick up the required parts and materials for the repair,” Galletta said.
A path forward
Galletta puts its all very simply:
“It’s time to get your hands dirty and learn a trade!” he says. “It’s extremely important that (serious persons) seize this moment and take the opportunity to be mentored by older experienced mechanics.”
Answering the hiring challenge
GallettAir is now hiring for multiple roles, including apprentices with little to no prior experience.
The company trains new recruits directly, pairing them with seasoned technicians and offering a clear pathway toward long-term, stable, essential work.
They say the ideal candidate isn’t defined by a résumé or test scores, but by curiosity, reliability and a willingness to learn.
To learn more about career opportunities at GallettAir Inc., visit gallettair.com or call 631-587-8395.
