‘Everybody Wants That Money’: AI Companies Promise Blue-Collar Workers Salaries Up to $280,000
Tech giants like Google are pouring millions of dollars into trade apprenticeships and training programs.
Key Takeaways
- AI data centers are creating a construction boom that requires electricians and other skilled tradespeople.
- The work is intense, often requiring 10-hour days, seven days a week.
- However, it can push annual pay for these skilled workers into the six figures.
As a Detroit-based apprentice electrician, usually spends his days climbing into manholes to repair cables and other electrical equipment. Recently, though, his employer has begun diverting crews to a massive new data center rising about an hour outside the city.
鈥淓verybody wants that money,鈥 Shelton said in a with The New York Times. The jobs pay well, but they are also draining the workforce from regular assignments, he said. As more workers head to data centers, Shelton鈥檚 crew is left trying to cover the same volume of maintenance and repair work with fewer hands.
Shelton may soon join his colleagues at data centers. According to , OpenAI鈥檚 facility is the largest single private investment in Michigan鈥檚 history. It demands around-the-clock construction and a workforce of skilled tradespeople.
The project will likely need hundreds of electricians working 10-hour shifts, seven days a week, to keep building its intricate web of technology.
The tradeoffs
The paychecks on hand are difficult to ignore. Overtime pay and bonuses can push earnings far above the standard. For context, the average annual salary of an electrician in Michigan is $61,930 to $70,942, according to the .
Last month, TV host and narrator Mike Rowe with a number of electricians who work at a data center in Texas. All of them were under 30 years old and were making $240,000 to $280,000 a year, far above the industry norm.
For younger workers hoping to save quickly or pay off debt, long shifts at a data center can substantially add to their paychecks.
For a lot of electricians, it鈥檚 some of the best money they鈥檝e ever seen, which makes it hard to turn down, even if it means long commutes and time away from home.
Shelton, who is thinking about his next stage in life, understands the pull of that kind of money.
At the same time, the intensity of the work gives him pause. Endless 10-hour days, stacked seven in a row, leave little room for rest, family or anything resembling a normal schedule. Shelton is weighing whether the financial gains are worth the personal trade-offs.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to have a house in the next year or so,鈥 he said, explaining where the extra income could benefit him. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 like, I understand the draw, but I also like to have a life outside work.鈥
Big Tech pours millions of dollars into training future electricians
According to the Times, data centers are dominating the conversation at the , where 850 electrician apprentices train.
The tech companies behind these projects aren鈥檛 just focused on today鈥檚 crews, either. They鈥檙e pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into making sure there鈥檚 a steady pipeline of electricians who can actually build and maintain all this infrastructure over the next decade.
For example, Google is taking part in a to ramp up annual apprentice enrollment from 19,500 to 30,000 over the next three years in select locations.
Key Takeaways
- AI data centers are creating a construction boom that requires electricians and other skilled tradespeople.
- The work is intense, often requiring 10-hour days, seven days a week.
- However, it can push annual pay for these skilled workers into the six figures.
As a Detroit-based apprentice electrician, usually spends his days climbing into manholes to repair cables and other electrical equipment. Recently, though, his employer has begun diverting crews to a massive new data center rising about an hour outside the city.
鈥淓verybody wants that money,鈥 Shelton said in a with The New York Times. The jobs pay well, but they are also draining the workforce from regular assignments, he said. As more workers head to data centers, Shelton鈥檚 crew is left trying to cover the same volume of maintenance and repair work with fewer hands.
Shelton may soon join his colleagues at data centers. According to , OpenAI鈥檚 facility is the largest single private investment in Michigan鈥檚 history. It demands around-the-clock construction and a workforce of skilled tradespeople.
