Data centers are a ‘gold rush’ for construction workers

Mond Chambliss used to run himself ragged with the small contracting business he owned in Columbus, Ohio: hanging drywall, chasing clients for payments and managing half a dozen employees.

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Surging demand means six-figure pay and more perks.

Since April, Chambliss has worked the night shift overseeing a team of 200 welders, plumbers and electricians at a local data-center construction site. He makes more than $100,000 a year—a significant increase from his previous pay—cruising around on a buggy under floodlights, overseeing deliveries and equipment and ensuring everything stays on schedule.

“[I pinch myself going to work every day,” the 5l-year-old said.

An investment boom in artificial intelligence is creating a thirst for massive data centers—and a bonanza for the workers building them. It is unclear how long that boom will last, but for now, workers like Chambliss are cashing in on high demand for their services. They are enjoying the trappings including perks, bonuses and, in many cases, pay boosts.

Data centers don’t employ many workers once they are actually built. During construction, though, they are a hive of workers pouring concrete walls and foundations, wiring electric panels and installing equipment such as power generators and chillers to ensure servers are cooled to a precise temperature at all times.

Given such complexity and high demand, workers who move into the data-center industry—in roles ranging from electricians to project managers—often earn 25% to 30% more than they did before, said Jake Rasweiler, senior vice president of data centers at Kelly Services, a staffing and recruitment firm.

“It’s like the gold rush,” Chambliss said.

Data centers are ballooning in size, and a single project can take years to construct and require thousands of workers. Tech giants such as Amazon.com, Google and Microsoft operate 522 data centers and have an additional 411 data centers in development, according to Synergy Research Group.