Data Centers Drive Demand for Skilled Labor
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has identified a job that could earn $100,000 per year. According to him, this job is in construction, specifically building chip, computer, or AI factories. The skilled manual labor segment will see a boom as the world enters 'the largest infrastructure construction in human history.'
Huang warned of a shortage of skilled electricians and plumbers in corporations. With massive data centers being built, a great many jobs will be created. A single data center spanning over 23,000 square meters may require up to 1,500 construction workers during the construction phase, with many earning over $100,000 per year.
Other CEOs, such as Larry Fink of BlackRock and Jim Farley of Ford, have also expressed concerns about the impending shortage of skilled labor. The U.S. is short of approximately 600,000 factory workers and 500,000 construction workers, according to a June LinkedIn post by Farley.
Technology companies are collaborating with community colleges and labor unions to design courses that allow workers to quickly enter the workforce, even while continuing to learn on the job. Meta has allocated $115 million for training construction workers in a multi-year commitment starting with around 5,000 participants.