Across the country, a full-on scramble is underway to build data centers fast, and finding enough skilled workers is becoming one of the biggest roadblocks in the process. With massive capital pouring into these projects and the demand for AI infrastructure exploding, commercial contractors are feeling the squeeze.

Matt Landek, JLL Data Centers Division President, said, “The pressures are not for the faint of heart. Finding the staff is extremely difficult, the logistics are overwhelming, and there’s constant pressure to get the equipment tested and turn the servers on.”

The pressure’s not just about speed. It’s about money.

Investors backing these data centers expect quick returns. The sooner a facility is live, the sooner it starts making money. Every delay cuts into yield, and every month shaved off the timeline boosts profits. That’s why developers are pouring serious dollars into one thing: labor.

Electricians Are the Bottleneck

Of all the trades needed for these jobs, electricians are in the highest demand. They’re needed not just for standard wiring but to address power supply issues and set up temporary systems for testing and commissioning.

Ben Burgett from Gray Construction is managing a full gigawatt of builds across seven campuses, so he knows the staffing struggles firsthand. “It’s all about electricians, on every project. That's the longest pole of a tent,” he said.

With the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating an annual shortage of over 81,000 electricians through 2030, and Microsoft predicting a need for half a million more in the next decade, the outlook isn’t exactly comforting.

Big Pay, Bigger Logistics

To get boots on the ground, developers are offering big incentives.

In some areas, union electricians are making $130 an hour (and that’s before overtime). Crews are flown in on private jets just to speed up onboarding and training.

Companies are even building full temporary “man camps” at remote jobsites. These setups include dorms, laundry, mess halls, and full utilities to attract and house workers.

Workers are following the money, using platforms like Where2Bro.com to chase higher-paying gigs. Journeymen are going wherever the rates and hours make the most sense.

And it’s not just electricians receiving these perks. Skilled project managers and foremen have become hot commodities, too. Kojo CEO Maria Davidson calls them “the rock stars of the industry.” “There’s huge competition, and we’re seeing a lot of companies poach each other’s teams,” she said.

One of Gray’s sites in Mississippi has 3,000 workers on it. That gives you a sense of the manpower needed to pull these projects off. It’s no surprise that everyone is fighting to staff up.

Deadlines Keep Shrinking

What used to be a phased approach is now a full-on blitz.

According to Burgett, a few years ago a team might finish one building before starting the next on a data center campus. Then it turned into starting one every few months. Now developers want all buildings on a site going up at the same time, which means running multiple shifts 24/7.

That kind of acceleration demands extreme coordination. Crews have to manage deliveries, set up power, and time crane rentals and server installations with near-perfect accuracy. One missed step and you get a “cascading waterfall of delays,” according to Davidson.

And then there are the redesigns. The chips being installed in these facilities are evolving so fast that changes happen even after the walls are up.

Supply Chain & Pay Challenges

Material delays only make things tougher. Gear like switchgear and cooling systems can take up to a year to arrive. A Turner & Townsend survey of 300 execs found that only 17% think the supply chain is ready to handle the surge in data center builds.

Costs are climbing, too. Half of those surveyed said project bids jumped 6% to 15% in the last year, and over 20% said bids increased by more than 15%.

In high-demand areas, pay for electricians can jump 25% in just one quarter. Bonuses are being handed out for showing up on time, hitting cable goals, and working overtime.

To fill the gaps, developers are pulling from other industries. Workers from oil and gas, military nuclear techs, even helicopter mechanics are being retrained and brought into the fold.

No Signs of Slowing Down

Despite whispers of an AI bubble, nobody on the inside sees a slowdown coming.

Many older data centers are due for retrofits, and companies like JLL already run $400 million worth of retrofit work a year. Flexential is planning to double its data center footprint in four years, with projects in Denver, Atlanta, and Oregon already in the pipeline.

“This is going to go on for another five, seven years,” said Flexential CEO Ryan Mallory. “Today, they’re putting in the transmission and power just for the backlog that’s in place.”

Lia Bosma

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