Nvidia CEO predicts surge in high-paying trade jobs as data centers expand

At the Davos forum, Nvidia founder Jensen Huang told BlackRock CEO Larry Fink that the wave of AI data-center construction will generate a wave of well-paid trade positions, from plumbers to steelworkers. He framed the effort as the "largest infrastructure build-out in human history," backed by $7 trillion of global spending by decade’s end. Huang pointed to existing talent gaps in the trades, where many jobs already offer six-figure salaries without requiring a degree.

McKinsey research projects that between 2023 and 2030 the United States will need an extra 130,000 electricians, 240,000 laborers and 150,000 supervisors. Huang’s optimism contrasts with warnings from Ford CEO Jim Farley, who says AI is eroding white-collar entry jobs while the country lacks enough blue-collar workers for a manufacturing resurgence. BlackRock’s Fink echoed the concern, calling the electrician shortage a potential bottleneck for data-center rollout.