Gen Z and Gen Alpha, Take Note: The World Will Need Many Plumbers

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - BlackRock’s investment giant boss, Larry Fink, believes the world ahead will require more skilled workers such as plumbers, electricians, and welders. This comes amid the massive adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), which is beginning to replace a number of office jobs.

In an interview with BBC International, Fink said society has overly glorified higher education and “office” professions such as banking, law, and media, while undervaluing technical jobs.

“We have really judged so many jobs and so many people who perhaps should not have gone into banking or media or law,” he said, quoted on Saturday (28/3/2026). “Perhaps they should have become great hands-on workers, and we now need to rebalance that approach.”

Fink emphasised that the AI surge will instead create great demand for jobs based on technical skills. In his annual letter to shareholders, he stated that the AI boom will open up many job opportunities in sectors such as plumbing and electrical work.

According to him, this change demands a shift in perspectives on careers. So far, professions like plumbers have often been perceived negatively, while investment bankers are idolised.

“We need to be proud that careers can be just as strong in these plumbing and electrical fields,” said Fink.

He also criticised the US education system after World War II, which overly encouraged young people to go to university. “We told all young people, go to college. And perhaps we overdid it,” he said.

Fink also rejected the notion that massive investments in the AI sector constitute a bubble. According to him, the global technology race instead demands more aggressive investments.

“I believe there is a race for technological dominance. If we do not invest more, China will win,” he said.

Nevertheless, he underlined one major challenge in AI development, namely the high cost of energy. Therefore, countries are encouraged to combine various energy sources, including accelerating the transition to renewable energy to ensure cheap and stable energy supplies.

“Rising energy prices are a very regressive tax. It affects the poor more than the rich,” he said.

For information, BlackRock currently manages assets of around US$14 trillion or the equivalent of Rp224,000 trillion, making it one of the world’s largest investors.