{"id":24695,"date":"2026-08-02T01:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T20:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24695"},"modified":"2026-08-02T01:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T20:01:54","slug":"jensen-huang-says-a-lot-of-six-figure-jobs-in-plumbing-and-construction-will-soon-be-unlocked-because-someone-needs-to-build-new-ai-centers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24695","title":{"rendered":"Jensen Huang says \u2018a lot\u2019 of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The job market has been a tough sell for many Gen Z graduates, with <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/12\/28\/job-market-outlook-2026-trade-trump-tariffs-immigration-deportation-ai-productivity\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:tariffs;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;tariffs&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">tariffs<\/a>, economic uncertainty, and <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2026\/01\/15\/worried-about-ai-taking-your-job-new-anthropic-research-shows-its-not-that-simple\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:artificial%20intelligence;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;artificial intelligence&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">artificial intelligence<\/a> reshaping hiring plans across corporate America.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->But according to Nvidia&#8217;s CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/12\/23\/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-humility-underrated-leadership-trait-dennys-dishwasher-elon-musk\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jensen%20Huang;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jensen Huang&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Jensen Huang<\/a>, the next wave of six-figure opportunities won&#8217;t be found in a Wall Street cubicle or Silicon Valley Slack channel. Instead, high-paying careers will partially come by picking up a wrench\u2014literally.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->As tech giants race to build sprawling data centers\u2014totaling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/industries\/technology-media-and-telecommunications\/our-insights\/the-cost-of-compute-a-7-trillion-dollar-race-to-scale-data-centers\" data-ylk=\"slk:%247%20trillion%20in%20global%20capital%20outlays;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;$7 trillion in global capital outlays&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">$7 trillion in global capital outlays<\/a> by the end of the decade\u2014Huang believes the world is on the cusp of what he calls the &#8220;largest infrastructure build-out in human history,&#8221; which will create &#8220;a lot of jobs.&#8221;\u00a0<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;It&#8217;s wonderful that the jobs are related to tradecraft, and we&#8217;re going to have plumbers and electricians and construction and steelworkers,&#8221; he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fpyXrJRpdMw\" data-ylk=\"slk:said%20in%20conversation;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;said in conversation&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">said in conversation<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/company\/blackrock\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:BlackRock;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;BlackRock&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">BlackRock<\/a> CEO Larry Fink at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->The hands-on skills needed to construct what he described as chip, computer, and AI factories are already facing shortages\u2014even though many <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/12\/29\/top-15-highest-paying-jobs-dont-require-college-degree-detectives-flight-attendants\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:roles%20pay%20over%20%24100%2C000%20without%20requiring%20a%20college%20degree;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;roles pay over $100,000 without requiring a college degree&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">roles pay over $100,000 without requiring a college degree<\/a>. One McKinsey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/~\/media\/mckinsey\/mckinsey%20global%20institute\/our%20research\/generative%20ai%20and%20the%20future%20of%20work%20in%20america\/generative-ai-and-the-future-of-work-in-america-vf1.pdf\" data-ylk=\"slk:report;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;report&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">report<\/a> estimated that between 2023 and 2030, there will be a need for an additional 130,000 trained electricians\u2014as well as 240,000 construction laborers and 150,000 construction supervisors\u2014in the U.S. alone.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;Everybody should be able to make a great living,&#8221; Huang said. &#8220;You don&#8217;t need to have a PhD in computer science to do so.&#8221;<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"text text-block heading text-left neo-font-heading-lg  yf-18d6y07\" role=\"heading\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->As Huang sees a trades boom, other CEOs warn there&#8217;s not enough skilled workers<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/h2>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->This isn&#8217;t the first time Huang has expressed his optimistic outlook on new career paths emerging alongside AI.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;The skilled craft segment of every economy is going to see a boom,&#8221; he told <em>Channel 4 News<\/em> in the U.K. in 2025. &#8220;You&#8217;re going to have to be doubling and doubling and doubling every single year.&#8221;<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->That optimism stands in contrast to warnings from leaders like Ford CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/article\/why-does-ford-ceo-jim-farley-see-blue-collar-worker-shortage-impact-data-center-reshoring\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jim%20Farley%2C;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jim Farley,&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Jim Farley,<\/a> who has repeatedly cautioned AI is <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/07\/05\/ford-ceo-jim-farley-ai-white-collar-jobs-essential-economy-skilled-trade-jobs-shortage\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:hollowing%20out%20traditional%20white-collar%20entry%20points;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;hollowing out traditional white-collar entry points&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">hollowing out traditional white-collar entry points<\/a>\u2014just as the education system continues to funnel students toward four-year degrees.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;There&#8217;s more than one way to the American Dream, but our whole education system is focused on four-year [college] education,&#8221; Farley said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in 2025. &#8220;Hiring an entry worker at a tech company has fallen 50% since 2019. Is that really where we want all of our kids to go? Artificial intelligence is gonna replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S.&#8221;<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none\" data-testid=\"read-more\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->At the same time, Farley has warned the country lacks the blue-collar workforce needed to support a manufacturing and infrastructure revival.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;I think the intent is there, but there&#8217;s nothing to backfill the ambition,&#8221; Farley told <em>Axios<\/em> in September 2025. &#8220;How can we reshore all this stuff if we don&#8217;t have people to work there?&#8221;<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->In June of the same year, Farley said the U.S. was already short 600,000 factory workers and 500,000 construction workers.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->BlackRock&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/03\/11\/skilled-trade-shortage-blackrock-ceo-larry-fink-gen-z-trump\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Larry%20Fink%20has%20echoed;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Larry Fink has echoed&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Larry Fink has echoed<\/a> these concerns, singling out the electrical industry as a looming bottleneck. Electrician jobs are expected to grow 9% over the next decade, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/construction-and-extraction\/electricians.htm\" data-ylk=\"slk:U.S.%20Bureau%20of%20Labor%20Statistics;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>.\u00a0<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;I&#8217;ve even told members of the Trump team that we&#8217;re going to run out of electricians that we need to build out AI data centers,&#8221; Fink said to an audience at CERAWeek, an S&amp;P Global energy conference hosted in Houston. &#8220;We just don&#8217;t have enough.&#8221;<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><em>A version of this story originally published on\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Fortune.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Fortune.com&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><em>Fortune.com<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0on January 21, 2026.<\/em><!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text text-block heading text-left neo-font-label-2xl-emphasis  yf-18d6y07\" role=\"heading\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>More on the future of work<\/strong><!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/h3>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->This story was originally featured on <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/article\/jensen-huang-says-a-lot-of-six-figure-jobs-in-plumbing-and-construction-will-soon-be-unlocked-because-someone-needs-to-build-new-ai-centers\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Fortune.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Fortune.com&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Fortune.com<\/a><!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The job market has been a tough sell for many Gen Z graduates, with tariffs, economic uncertainty, and artificial intelligence reshaping hiring plans across corporate America. But according to Nvidia&#8217;s CEO Jensen Huang, the next wave of six-figure opportunities won&#8217;t be found in a Wall Street cubicle or Silicon Valley Slack channel. Instead, high-paying careers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/34DE2015E9F602C84A677A0D9E8C6A3D19500120B15C37DDC6AADACD176AAC5C\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefill_w1200_h800;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffortune_175%2F4062994d1bf7ae6ff8233554daa0c275","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}