Eagle Mountain is building
data centers

Eagle Mountain, UT has about 2.6 GW of AI data centers across 5 sites, with 2.5 GW still to build. The builders here include Meta, Tract, Google, QTS.

At the busiest point, about 4,818 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 Eagle Mountain, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, welders, network/low-voltage technicians, electricians, and sheet metal workers. Here is the read by trade.

Ironworkers — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 678 ironworkers, but only about 115 of the Eagle Mountain area's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves the Eagle Mountain area short about 563. 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.

Welders — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 376 welders, but only about 342 of the Eagle Mountain area's welders are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves the Eagle Mountain area short about 34. When builders cannot find enough welders, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Network/low-voltage technicians — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 301 network/low-voltage technicians, but only about 278 of the Eagle Mountain area's network/low-voltage technicians are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves the Eagle Mountain area short about 23. When builders cannot find enough network/low-voltage technicians, 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, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 1,355 electricians, but only about 1,302 of the Eagle Mountain area's electricians are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves the Eagle Mountain area short about 53. When builders cannot find enough electricians, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Sheet metal workers — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 151 sheet metal workers at the busiest point — close to all of the ~180 sheet metal workers the Eagle Mountain area has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Pipefitters — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 527 pipefitters at the busiest point — close to all of the ~768 pipefitters the Eagle Mountain area has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

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 Utah. The Utah trade pages show you how to start. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.