Who builds Illinois's
data centers?
Illinois is building 3.8 GW of new data centers across 14 sites. Here is the work that means for the trades — and why there are not enough workers for it.
Worth training up for in Illinois?
YES means the data centers will need more of that trade than Illinois 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 Illinois 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 if you work a trade in Illinois
Illinois is building 4 GW of new AI data centers across 14 sites. 214 MW is already running, and 3.8 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Meta, Microsoft, T5 Data Centers, CoreWeave.
At the busiest point, about 7,325 skilled workers will be on these sites at once, across all the trades. But the work is not split evenly — some trades will be short, and some will not. That is what decides whether it is worth training up.
Should you train up for this? It depends on the trade. In Illinois, the data centers look most short on ironworkers. Those are the best bets right now. Here is the read, trade by trade.
Ironworkers — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 1,030 ironworkers, but only about 812 of Illinois's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Illinois short about 218. 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 — could go either way. The data centers need about 2,061 electricians, and Illinois has about 5,720 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.
Network/low-voltage technicians — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 458 network/low-voltage technicians, and Illinois already has about 1,645 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
HVAC/R technicians — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 458 hvac/r technicians, and Illinois already has about 2,128 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
Sheet metal workers — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 229 sheet metal workers, and Illinois already has about 1,060 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
Carpenters — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 1,259 carpenters, and Illinois already has about 6,232 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
Pipefitters — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 801 pipefitters, and Illinois already has about 4,682 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
Data center technicians — worth training up: YES. Once these data centers open they will need about 592 data center technicians to run them, day and night. These are permanent jobs, and there are not enough local data center technicians to fill them — so they hire and train. Steady, long-term work.
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.
The building jobs run for a few years; the jobs that run the data centers last longer. Either way, a shortage is good news if you are in that trade. To start in Illinois, look at the apprenticeship programs for the trade you want. 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 | 2,061 | 5,720 | 3,659 spare | 152 | CLOSE |
| Carpenters | 1,259 | 6,232 | 4,973 spare | — | NO |
| Ironworkers | 1,030 | 812 | short 218 | — | YES |
| Pipefitters | 801 | 4,682 | 3,881 spare | — | NO |
| Welders | 572 | 4,335 | 3,763 spare | — | NO |
| HVAC/R technicians | 458 | 2,128 | 1,670 spare | 68 | NO |
| Network/low-voltage technicians | 458 | 1,645 | 1,187 spare | 34 | NO |
| Data center technicians | — | 978 | 386 spare | 592 | YES |
| Plumbers | 343 | 4,682 | 4,339 spare | — | NO |
| Sheet metal workers | 229 | 1,060 | 831 spare | — | NO |
| Elevator mechanics | 114 | 242 | — | — | — |
"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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