Work Ethic Declining Because "Snowflakes" Don't Face Consequences, Mike Rowe Says

TV host and mikeroweWORKS Foundation CEO Mike Rowe says the current labor shortage and shifting work ethic are rooted in deeper cultural changes.

“We’re the clouds from which the snowflakes fell,” he said, suggesting older generations helped create today’s workforce mindset, according to Fox News.

Rowe believes there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the job market, with a tight labor market enabling more workplace accommodations because people aren’t “lining up” for essential jobs.

“We’ve got a huge labor shortage and the push to get to the AI thing over the finish line. That means data centers. We've got to train people to build these data centers,” he said.

Fox News wrote that through his foundation, Rowe promotes skilled trades as valuable, noting that 2,200 participants are now earning six-figure incomes as welders, plumbers, and more.

Still, he said his Work Ethic Scholarship Program often sees applicants fail to complete basic requirements: “They’re started, but they don’t finish them for the exact reasons we’re talking about. So, yeah, it’s a problem.”

Lamenting the broader cultural shift, Rowe added, “The world is either going to change to accommodate the current generation, or the current generation is going to change to accommodate the world they’re living in.”

Despite the challenges, he remains hopeful: “There’s enthusiasm for the work. It’s just not in the places you’re looking.”