For every 5 who retire i.e. the people who actually keep the country running in a practical way (mechanics, electricians, plumbers, heavy equipment operators & on & on) they are being replaced by ONE person.
For example:
If the goal is to make a living without a boatload of debt, I have talked to several of the HVAC techs who service our units. No experience: employers will put them through training at no $$ cost to trainee. Experienced: $80K+ a year & that was before COVID. No trouble finding a job - even transferring to another state is no problem.
Heard the same from our A/C tech.