30 miles north of Billings is building
data centers
30 miles north of Billings has 1 GW of data centers across 1 sites. That is a lot of work for the trades, and there are not enough workers nearby to do it.
Worth training up for in Montana?
YES means the data centers will need more of that trade than Montana can spare — so they pay well, pay to train, and run overtime. NO means there are already plenty.
"Short" means the data centers need more of that trade at the busiest point than the area has free to take on new work. Most workers stay on their regular jobs; only about 1 in 4 are free for big new projects like these.
Will Montana have enough workers?
At the busiest point of the build. Bars to the left mean a shortage (good if you are in that trade). Bars to the right mean workers to spare.
What this means for workers near 30 miles north of Billings
30 miles north of Billings, MT has about 1 GW of AI data centers across 1 site, with 1 GW still to build. The builders here include Quantica Infrastructure / Big Sky Digital Infrastructure (BSDI).
At the busiest point, about 1,920 skilled workers will be on these sites at once, across all the trades. Many drive in from nearby towns, but the work starts here — and it is not split evenly, so some trades are short and some are not.
Worth training up for? Around 30 miles north of Billings, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, electricians, and network/low-voltage technicians. Here is the read by trade.
Ironworkers — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 270 ironworkers, but only about 38 of Montana's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Montana short about 232. When builders cannot find enough ironworkers, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.
Electricians — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 540 electricians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~708 electricians Montana has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.
Network/low-voltage technicians — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 120 network/low-voltage technicians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~182 network/low-voltage technicians Montana has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.
Pipefitters — could go either way. The data centers need about 210 pipefitters, and Montana has about 452 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.
HVAC/R technicians — could go either way. The data centers need about 120 hvac/r technicians, and Montana has about 262 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.
Sheet metal workers — could go either way. The data centers need about 60 sheet metal workers, and Montana has about 130 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.
These are some of the best-paying jobs you can get without a four-year degree. When a trade is short, builders run overtime and pay to train, and experienced workers can clear $100,000 a year, with health care and a pension through the union. It is the same across the country: builders cannot find enough skilled workers. The U.S. needs about 140,000 more trade workers by 2030 to build all the data centers, and most builders say hiring is their hardest problem. Microsoft's president has called the shortage of electricians the biggest thing slowing data centers down.
You sign up and get your license through Montana. The Montana trade pages show you how to start. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.
Every trade, by the numbers
| Trade | Needed at peak | Free to take it on | Short or extra | New data-center jobs | Train up? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 540 | 708 | 168 spare | 38 | YES |
| Carpenters | 330 | 1,060 | 730 spare | — | CLOSE |
| Ironworkers | 270 | 38 | short 232 | — | YES |
| Pipefitters | 210 | 452 | 242 spare | — | CLOSE |
| Welders | 150 | 335 | 185 spare | — | CLOSE |
| HVAC/R technicians | 120 | 262 | 142 spare | 17 | CLOSE |
| Network/low-voltage technicians | 120 | 182 | 62 spare | 8 | YES |
| Plumbers | 90 | 452 | 362 spare | — | NO |
| Data center technicians | — | 38 | short 109 | 147 | YES |
| Sheet metal workers | 60 | 130 | 70 spare | — | CLOSE |
| Elevator mechanics | 30 | 15 | — | — | — |
"Needed at peak" is the most of that trade working across all the building at the busiest time. "Free to take it on" is how many local workers could move to data-center jobs — about 1 in 4 of the trade; the rest keep their regular jobs. "Short or extra" is the gap. "New data-center jobs" are permanent jobs that stay once a data center opens. "Train up?" is YES when the work needs more than the area can spare (so they pay well and pay to train), NO when there are plenty already. Elevator mechanics are left out of the verdict because their work depends on the building's design.
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