TikTok, once best known for dance videos and viral trends, is becoming an unexpected recruitment engine for the construction industry as influencers share their real-world trade stories with millions of Gen Z viewers.

Creators like Chelsea Fenton (@thatunionlaborer) are using the platform to spotlight life in the trades, especially for women who may not have seen these paths before. “A light bulb went off in my head that I could do this for my trade and I started posting online about construction and being a woman in the trade and it caught the attention of a lot of women,” she said. Fenton, who has over 26,500 followers, said social media is the best free tool for showing young people — especially women — the benefits of construction jobs. “The algorithm is easy to push content to a certain demographic of people,” she said. “I have built my community around women — 70% are women — and people hype each other up.”

Her most popular posts, she said, connect emotionally and show what’s possible in the trades. “My most successful video was me just talking about how much I made, how I bought a house at 27 and showing them the positives,” Fenton said.

Another TikTok star, Eddy Lopez (@ez_home), who runs his own construction business in Washington state, has amassed 2.6 million followers with viral DIY and before-and-after renovation clips. “It was during the pandemic when I started posting, at first just for fun, and there were a lot of people who loved the tips and DIY posts, and five years later, the platform is used to run our business,” Lopez said. He credits TikTok with recruiting thousands into the trades by showing them what’s possible. “You need to hook people right away, and keep things short and simple,” he added.

Andrew Brown (@andrewbrowntrades), the founder of ToolFetch, uses his 31,000-follower TikTok account to help young people discover apprenticeships and union jobs that lead to six-figure incomes. “My platform is about impact, storytelling and shifting culture in a way that actually helps people,” he said. “TikTok has given me the reach, but more importantly, it’s given this message a real home.”

Brown’s posts often highlight real-life examples of welders, electricians and other skilled tradespeople succeeding without college debt. “If people feel they are mechanically driven, have a technical spark or want to work with their hands, they can see that they can get into a career that’s in high demand and not have the debt follow them vs. going into a four-year college,” he said.

Recognizing the platform’s reach, the Skilled Careers Coalition and SkillsUSA recently teamed up with TikTok to launch Skills Jam, a youth-led content project designed to raise awareness about the trades among Gen Z. “TikTok is great at storytelling; it’s visual with short soundbites in some cases, and it’s a platform that a lot of young individuals are engaging in,” said Mark Hedstrom, SCC’s executive director. “A lot of approach with this collaboration is to meet young students where they’re at, so it’s a great platform to engage them in an authentic way.”

Hedstrom said the content that works best comes from people who look and sound like students themselves. “This helps engage the students in exploring the opportunity further,” he said. “It’s not just about raising awareness but trying to find opportunities to bring students through to taking action, helping them find those opportunities for them to pursue those careers.”

Industry groups are taking note of the viral reach and authenticity that TikTok creators bring to construction careers. Some unions and training programs have started partnering directly with influencers to share apprenticeship openings and trade school options through sponsored content and live Q&As.

Contractors are also rethinking how they connect with younger recruits — encouraging their own workers to share jobsite life, pay stories and career progression online. For many companies, tapping into social media may prove more effective than traditional job ads, as younger audiences look for jobs that feel relatable and rewarding.

Experts say that the movement is also helping tackle an aging workforce. With retirements looming, the construction industry needs a new generation to step up — and TikTok is quickly becoming a surprisingly powerful tool to bridge that gap.

Originally reported by Keith Loria in Construction Dive.