I'm 35, my mates in investment banking are at risk of losing their jobs ... but I'm in an AI-proof industry that will always be needed

Published: 05:50, 8 August 2026 | Updated: 05:50, 8 August 2026 A construction boss has urged young Australians to consider a trade over university, arguing it is 'way better' to pick up tools than hit the books.  Brenden Morrissey, 35, founded Strive Modular on the Central Coast with his wife Holly in January and employs ten staff, including plumbers and electricians.  He said apprenticeships are the way forward and argued many jobs that require university degrees could eventually be affected by artificial intelligence (AI).  'I've got friends in investment banking who are high up in big corporate companies, but the reality is that the jobs you're going to university for are the most likely to be taken over by technology,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Construction, though, will always be needed. It's not going to be taken over. You won't be made redundant.' Mr Morrissey said he respects those who go to university but added that specialising in a trade offered higher wages and more practical life skills. 'I think the way the construction industry is going, what was once an industry that might not have had higher wages isn't the case anymore,' he said. 'I've got some contract carpenters and builders who are on $75 an hour. Construction boss Brenden Morrissey is pictured with his wife Holly. He has urged young Australians to ditch university in favour of a trade  Mr Morrissey said some university-based careers could be affected by artificial intelligence  With Australia facing a shortage of skilled workers, including apprentices, Mr Morrissey warned the outlook could worsen if the trend is not reversed.  'Without skilled labour and tradespeople, we don't have a construction future as robotics and AI can only take you so far,' he said.  'Without skilled labour, who's going to renovate? You can't send a robot in to change a door or change a toilet. 'All we're doing now is creating an even bigger gap in the trade shortage.'  Mr Morrissey said low apprenticeship wages were partly to blame for the vacuum of apprentices in Australia. 'There's not enough younger tradies coming through at the moment,' he said.  'Why would you want to get an apprenticeship for $17 an hour when you can go and drive a forklift for $35 an hour? That's the reality in the construction industry.'  Mr Morrissey also said younger generations are prioritising jobs that offer higher immediate pay and are 'not thinking about the future'.  Mr Morrissey warned Australia's skills shortage could worsen if apprentice numbers do not increase 'There's a lot of entry-level jobs that require no previous training and are high-paying roles for a 17-year-old,' the builder said. 'All they're thinking about is money so they can buy a car or go partying on a weekend. 'Today's generation doesn't think about 10 years' time, they're living in the now.' Mr Morrissey also warned that he has seen a lack of work ethic among new apprentices. 'For every 10 [apprentices] who come through, five of them might have the right work ethic, the rest don't,' he said. 'They're just here for the money, not because they're interested in what they're doing.' Australia is also experiencing an AI data centre boom, with experts suggesting almost 20 per cent of all non-residential construction is now being directed towards building the facilities which means more tradies would be needed. But Mr Morrissey warned these large projects, including data centres and major infrastructure works, could pull workers away from day-to-day construction jobs.  Mr Morrissey (pictured with his team) said large infrastructure projects can draw skilled workers away from day-to-day construction jobs because they often offer higher pay  'With big major projects like data centres and infrastructure projects, those certainly are on a much bigger scale, so they can offer much bigger wages,' Mr Morrissey said.  'I worked underground on the [Sydney] WestConnex project because I got way more money than I would working in construction. 'It's really hard because we are losing a lot of skilled tradesmen to either mining or infrastructure projects like tunnels, rail and roads because they're paying a higher wage.' Randstad National Director of Trades and Labour Paris Watt said there has been a lot of talk around AI's 'potential for disrupting jobs'. But the recruitment agency's recent data shows that professional roles have grown by 38 per cent, while blue-collar roles have increased by 54 per cent. 'This data shows when it comes to skilled trades, it's actually growing job opportunities,' Ms Watt said.  'AI is creating incredible demand for the infrastructure that drives and supports it and these data centres require a lot of skilled tradespeople to build them. 'We're already seeing the skills bottleneck in Australia and a key challenge moving forward will be addressing the shortage of skilled trades in the face of this growing demand.'