80% of Students Consider Blue-Collar Employment Depending on Conditions: Signs of Changing Career Perspectives in the AI Era. Field-Based Part-Time Workers Find Blue-Collar Jobs More Appealing. [Survey of 500 Current Students]
X Mile Co., Ltd. conducted a survey of 500 students planning to enter the workforce, revealing that approximately 80% consider blue-collar jobs as a career option. This indicates a shift in career perspectives in the AI era, with students prioritizing jobs less susceptible to AI replacement.
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- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 21:00
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X Mile Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hiroyuki Noro), which provides HR recruitment and career support services for non-desk workers, conducted a "Survey on Job Hunting Trends" targeting 500 students planning to enter the workforce.
Field-based jobs are indispensable for supporting social infrastructure and daily life. This survey aims to clarify how students perceive the value of such jobs and to bridge the information gap between the industry and students.
In this survey, approximately 80% or more of the respondents answered that they would consider "field-based jobs," generally referred to as blue-collar jobs, as a career option. In contrast, for white-collar jobs ("office jobs"), concerns about AI replacement risk were found to be higher than for field-based jobs. This suggests a potential trend among students to strategically choose jobs that are less likely to be replaced by AI.
## Survey Summary
- Approximately 80% of students consider "field-based jobs as a career option."
- "Office jobs are easily replaceable by AI" was answered by approximately 4.5 times more respondents compared to field-based jobs.
- "Less susceptible to AI replacement" was the most important factor in job selection for approximately 27% of students.
- Approximately 1 in 4 students are eager to acquire "field-based/infrastructure-related qualifications."
- Students with field-based part-time job experience are approximately 1.6 times more attracted to field-based jobs than those without experience.
▼This release can be viewed below.
Cross-Work Job White Paper: https://x-work.jp/journal/students27-bluecollar
*When reprinting or quoting, please credit the source and link below.
## Over 70% Currently Prefer Office-Based Occupations
When asked which type of work they found more appealing, 73.8% (369 respondents) chose office-based jobs (clerical, planning, sales, management, etc.), while 26.2% (131 respondents) chose field-based jobs (manufacturing, construction, logistics, infrastructure, etc.).
## Even Among Office Job Aspirants, Approximately 75% Would Consider Field-Based Jobs Under Certain Conditions
Field-based jobs are indispensable for supporting social infrastructure and daily life. This survey aims to clarify how students perceive the value of such jobs and to bridge the information gap between the industry and students.
In this survey, approximately 80% or more of the respondents answered that they would consider "field-based jobs," generally referred to as blue-collar jobs, as a career option. In contrast, for white-collar jobs ("office jobs"), concerns about AI replacement risk were found to be higher than for field-based jobs. This suggests a potential trend among students to strategically choose jobs that are less likely to be replaced by AI.
## Survey Summary
- Approximately 80% of students consider "field-based jobs as a career option."
- "Office jobs are easily replaceable by AI" was answered by approximately 4.5 times more respondents compared to field-based jobs.
- "Less susceptible to AI replacement" was the most important factor in job selection for approximately 27% of students.
- Approximately 1 in 4 students are eager to acquire "field-based/infrastructure-related qualifications."
- Students with field-based part-time job experience are approximately 1.6 times more attracted to field-based jobs than those without experience.
▼This release can be viewed below.
Cross-Work Job White Paper: https://x-work.jp/journal/students27-bluecollar
*When reprinting or quoting, please credit the source and link below.
## Over 70% Currently Prefer Office-Based Occupations
When asked which type of work they found more appealing, 73.8% (369 respondents) chose office-based jobs (clerical, planning, sales, management, etc.), while 26.2% (131 respondents) chose field-based jobs (manufacturing, construction, logistics, infrastructure, etc.).
## Even Among Office Job Aspirants, Approximately 75% Would Consider Field-Based Jobs Under Certain Conditions