The ultimate effects of artificial intelligence on American employment will stay unclear for years ahead. In the near term, swift construction of data centers that support AI growth is generating a wave of blue-collar opportunities, even while some firms trim white-collar positions through AI investments.

At present, most positions tied to data center projects involve construction work, which specialists described to CBS News as temporary assignments.

Additional employment gains from heightened data center activity will remain modest, noted Ben Zweig, a labor economist and CEO of Revelio Labs, a workforce data firm.

"These operations employ relatively few staff," he said.

The push to build data centers is also drawing growing local resistance from critics who argue the sites burden power systems and pose environmental risks.

Other observers criticize the large tax incentives that communities frequently offer to attract such projects, claiming the benefits outweigh the smaller number of jobs created.

Trillion-dollar investment wave?

Data centers generally need only a small permanent workforce to run, similar to facilities that host internet services.

"Positions for ongoing upkeep are limited in scale," said Revelio Labs chief economist Lisa Simon. "The effort relies far more on capital than on labor."

Tech firms are investing billions to erect data centers nationwide, with total outlays projected to hit as high as $7 trillion by 2030, per McKinsey estimates.

The country currently hosts about 4,000 data centers, and roughly 3,000 additional sites have been announced or begun, according to Apollo Global Management.

This spending lifts demand for construction crews along with data technicians, electricians, HVAC experts and maintenance staff required for daily operations.

Overall, U.S. data centers are forecast to support 4.7 million temporary construction roles, based on a 2025 report by the American Edge Project, a policy group backed by Meta. The same analysis projected around 697,000 permanent jobs to run and oversee the sites.

Although many associated positions prove temporary, the spending can still support nearby economies, said Greg Wright, a workforce specialist and author of a Brookings Institution study on data center employment effects.

"When crews arrive to complete the builds, they require lodging and meals, which adds local economic activity," he noted.

Demand rises for data technicians

After completion, data centers need trained technicians to keep systems running.

"Each AI facility needs staff who can oversee, fix and sustain operations," said Parminder K. Jassal, a fiber optics engineer and cofounder of Umudl, a training and placement platform.

These technicians install, monitor and service thousands of servers housed in large, warehouse-style buildings. Duties include diagnosing equipment issues and managing tasks that can be handled off-site.

"The focus stays on maintaining the physical backbone that supports all computing and AI functions," Jassal added, explaining that technicians rotate shifts to ensure 24-hour coverage.

Glassdoor lists a median U.S. salary of $88,000 for data center technicians. Employers posting openings include Microsoft, IBM, Amazon and Google.

In:

Data Centers
Artificial Intelligence