New Jersey needs
sheet metal workers for its data centers
New Jersey is building 275 MW of new data centers. Here is how much sheet metal workers work that makes — and why there are not enough sheet metal workers for it.
Sheet metal workers for New Jersey's data centers: about 406 to spare.
Will New Jersey 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 sheet metal workers in New Jersey
New Jersey is building 275 MW of new AI data centers across 5 sites. On a data center, sheet metal workers build and hang the ductwork that moves cool air through the rooms.
Sheet metal workers — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 16 sheet metal workers, and New Jersey already has about 422 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.
New Jersey has 5 data-center sites in the works, with 275 MW still to build. That keeps sheet metal workers busy for years: as one job winds down, the next one is starting, so the work does not dry up after a single build.
New Jersey sheet metal workers earn about $94,310 a year on average. Data-center work pays more than that, and when a trade is short, overtime can push experienced sheet metal workers well over $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.
The building work runs a few years, not forever — but New Jersey has enough lined up to keep you busy, and the skills carry over to every other big job in the state. To start, look at the New Jersey sheet metal workers apprenticeship programs. That is the way in. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.
Get sheet metal workers job updates for New Jersey
New New Jersey data-center sites, tips on getting hired, and pay updates for sheet metal workers.
READ THE NATIONAL SHEET METAL WORKERS SWITCH GUIDE -- $9
National sheet metal workers training, pay, and licensing context. This is not a New Jersey-specific paid guide.
NEW JERSEY PROGRAMS
The New Jersey sheet metal workers apprenticeship programs, schools, and licensing path.
The data centers behind these numbers
- Nebius New Jersey Data Center (Vineland) — Nebius, Vineland (300 MW)
- CoreWeave Kenilworth (NEST Campus) — CoreWeave, Kenilworth (250 MW)
- US East LGA1 – Weehawken — CoreWeave, Weehawken (30 MW)
- Equinix Hudson County NJ Proposed Expansion — Equinix, Secaucus/Jersey City area (25 MW)
- CoreSite NY3 (Secaucus) — CoreSite (American Tower), Secaucus (15 MW)