Changing Aspirations and the Decline of Traditional Crafts
Young people are refusing jobs involving physical labor for several reasons connected to shifts in cultural attitudes and social upbringing. Firstly, the rise in educational levels and the desire for so-called “intellectual” professions lead the children of craftsmen or specialists engaged in physical labor to abandon family traditions. As noted in one source:"Children of blacksmiths, glassmakers, or shoemakers, after spending some time in school, look down on their parents’ work and seek some clerical occupations; daughters of merchants and soldiers, having attended lessons in a secondary institution and being exposed to their affluent peers, are also reluctant to settle into home life. Meanwhile, in the broader context of human society, blacksmiths and glassmakers are indeed needed..." (source: link txt)This indicates that traditional physical professions are seen as less prestigious, pushing young people to search for occupations associated with a higher social status and better career prospects.Secondly, the prevalence of craft work within the national context is declining, resulting in many areas of physical labor being entirely taken over by foreign specialists. This fact is driven not only by the changing preferences of young people but also affects the modern labor market—a shortage of skilled workers in traditional sectors impacts the stability and development of the economy. One source describes the situation as follows:"We have noticed that bulky crafts flourish in Russian hands.
Can't one replace an econom with an economist?... It is impossible not to observe, with great sadness, how limited the spread of craft work is in our country and how many spheres of this labor are entirely in the hands of foreigners." (source: link txt)Thus, the youth’s reluctance to engage in physical labor is determined both by the stigmatization of traditional professions and shifts in economic and social priorities. Consequently, the labor market encounters a shortage of specialists required for qualified manual work. This trend contributes to the loss of craft traditions and increases dependence on foreign workers in certain sectors, which has long-term consequences for the nation's economy.