The artificial intelligence boom is bringing unexpected dividends to construction workers involved in building data centers: salaries for these specialists have increased by 25–30% compared to previous levels.
The artificial intelligence boom is bringing unexpected dividends to construction workers involved in building data centers: salaries for these specialists have increased by 25–30% compared to previous levels.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in some cases builders’ incomes have risen dramatically. For instance, 51-year-old DeMond Chambliss left his small drywall installation business in Ohio to become a supervisor at a data center construction site, where he manages 200 workers. He now earns more than $100,000 a year.
Mark Benner, an electrician from Oregon, earns $225,000 per year, while his colleague Andrew Mason earns more than $200,000 per year overseeing the construction of six data centers in Northern Virginia.
This income growth is not just due to higher rates. Companies are offering additional perks — free meals, heated break areas, daily bonuses, and remote positions for project managers. At some sites, workers can receive $100-per-shift bonuses.
Demand for construction specialists is growing rapidly: Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are deploying hundreds of new data centers, while the construction industry is already experiencing a shortage of approximately 439,000 skilled workers, according to Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).