The AI-Driven Job Boom: How Data Centers Are Creating New Opportunities
Much has been said about the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to replace jobs, but Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has a different perspective. According to Huang, the rapid growth of AI will lead to a labor shortage, particularly in the trades, as tech companies scramble to build data centers across the US and around the world. This massive infrastructure buildout will require skilled tradespeople, such as plumbers, electricians, and construction workers, to make it happen.
Jensen Huang speaks during the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
The Rise of Trade Jobs
New labor opportunities will be especially concentrated in the trades, where Huang claims pay has already nearly doubled. Those who help build semiconductor plants, computer factories, and data centers will soon be making “six-figure salaries,” according to the executive. The median annual pay for electricians in 2024 was around $62,000, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was roughly $46,000 for construction laborers and nearly $63,000 for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.
Growth for all three professions from 2024 to 2034 is expected to outpace the average occupational growth rate of 3 percent, with demand for electricians in particular surging. The field is projected to expand by 9 percent over the next decade, with about 81,000 openings projected annually on average. The US is already seeing a “significant boom” in these areas, according to Huang—so much so that it has led to a “great shortage” in tradecraft roles.
A Global Phenomenon
The opportunity for AI-driven manual labor jobs won’t be limited to the US, Huang added, but will extend around the world as data center construction accelerates. “There is not one country in the world I can imagine where you [don’t] need to have AI as part of your infrastructure.” This sentiment is echoed by other industry leaders, such as Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, who described vocational skills as “very valuable, if not irreplaceable,” while speaking in Davos earlier this week.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has made similar arguments on behalf of the blue-collar community, saying the country does not yet have a large enough workforce to support its data center ambitions. “I think the intent is there, but there’s nothing to backfill the ambition,” he told Axios in August. As the world continues to embrace AI, it’s clear that the demand for skilled tradespeople will only continue to grow.
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Image Source: observer.com
