Nvidia boss Jensen Huang predicts a surge of six‑figure roles in construction and plumbing as workers are needed to build the next wave of AI data centres
The global jobs market is changing as economic uncertainty and rapid tech advances — especially artificial intelligence (AI) — reshape who’s needed where. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, has pointed out a growing opportunity: well-paid roles in trades like plumbing and construction. As big tech pours money into AI infrastructure, demand for those skills is set to jump.
How the job market is changing
For many Gen Z graduates, getting a foot in the door is proving tricky. Tariffs and technological shifts are making companies across the United States rethink hiring. The old routes to good pay—Wall Street or Silicon Valley—aren’t the only options anymore. Trades such as those Huang mentioned are looking increasingly attractive.
Speaking with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Huang said the world is facing the “largest infrastructure build-out in human history.” Building AI data centres and related facilities will create “a lot of jobs,” he added, and stressed you don’t need a PhD to earn a solid living in these fields.
Big spending on infrastructure
Planned investment in infrastructure is on an unprecedented scale: global capital outlays for data centres are projected to hit £5.46 trillion by the end of the decade. That build will need a wide range of workers — plumbers, electricians, construction workers, and steelworkers — yet there’s already a shortage of skilled people to do the work. Many of those roles pay over £78,000 without requiring a college degree.
A McKinsey report estimates that, between 2023 and 2030, the US alone will need an additional 130,000 electricians, 240,000 construction labourers, and 150,000 construction supervisors. Those figures underline how much skilled labour will be needed to support the boom.
Demand is rising — and so are the challenges
The hands-on skills needed to build chip, computer and AI factories are growing in demand fast. Still, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that electrician jobs will grow by just 9% over the next decade — a pace some experts think won’t keep up. Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, has warned this could create a bottleneck and has argued that the current focus on four-year degrees may leave vital blue-collar roles unfilled.
Farley has also sounded the alarm about white-collar roles being affected by AI, saying: “Artificial intelligence is gonna replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S.” Without a ready workforce to fill skilled trade positions, America may struggle to support manufacturing and infrastructure expansion.
A different route to the American dream
Speaking in Houston, Larry Fink warned of a real risk: “I’ve even told members of the Trump team that we’re going to run out of electricians that we need to build out AI data centres.” His point highlights the national need to step up training and recruitment for skilled trades.
Huang has suggested the skilled craft sector is set to “see a boom” and urged people to recognise the worth of hands-on trades: “You’re going to have to be doubling and doubling and doubling every single year.”
As AI reshapes the labour market, valuing skilled trades is becoming more important. People choosing careers today have unprecedented chances to take on dynamic, well-paid roles that support technological advancement. Getting a better balance between traditional education and vocational training could be a key to future economic resilience and growth.