The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data center construction is bringing a new concern to the forefront: a shortage of skilled labor. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos that “the largest infrastructure build in human history” had begun.
Huang said the buildout would create many jobs for plumbers, electricians, construction workers and steelworkers. A McKinsey report estimated that from 2023 to 2030, the United States alone will need 130,000 more electricians, 240,000 more construction workers and 150,000 more construction site supervisors.
These jobs are drawing attention as possible new career paths because they can pay more than $100,000 a year without a college degree. Ford CEO Jim Farley has warned that artificial intelligence could replace half of white-collar jobs, while criticizing an education system that still focuses heavily on four-year colleges.
Farley also said the U.S. is already short 600,000 factory workers and 500,000 construction workers. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has warned that a shortage of electricians could become the biggest bottleneck in building data centers, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects electrician jobs will grow 9% over the next decade.
