Yeah.
Work for a summer as a manual laborer some time. Grueling, backbreaking work, unless you have the "in" (and five years journeyman experience at no to little pay) to be a plumber/electrician/heavy vehicle operator.
Every time I've tried working in laboring I haven't lasted a month, usually less than two weeks (till paycheck). Carrying sheet rock, digging trenches, general haul this go over there. People come out of manual laboring either built like a professional wrestler, with severe muscle-skeletal problems, or both.
No one wants to work those jobs because they're so terrible.
I wanted to argue with you about this, as I have experience working as a construction site laborer, and then I thought back to the time I had to spend a night on-site because a huge beam fell off a wood pile and pinned my leg in the dirt and other fallen lumber, and everyone else had gone home and no one could hear me yelling.
I wasn't seriously injured, but ninety nine out of 100 times someone in that position would be.
Also from some time spend in construction. To me it looked like plumbing and electricity might not also be that much better always. At least if you had to work with heavy stuff. The higher amperage cables are heavy and stiff. And the working positions are not always optimal. Cast iron is not used anymore, but it is also example of heavy stuff.
Heavy vehicles get to office work situation, with added risk of having to get up and down and possibly jump from places...
Even as a hobbyist plumber; I've squeezed in a humid crawl space on a hot day, watched my torch die and laughed as I realized it was due to lack of oxygen.
They don't want to work those jobs because they have no concept of mental and physical toughness. It's a shame too, spend 4-5 years bouncing around through the trades and you'll pick up enough skills to get a lifetime 70% off coupon for all home repair and renovation projects.
