Who builds Ohio's
data centers?

Ohio is building 16.4 GW of new AI data centers across 40 sites. 1 GW is already running, and 15.4 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Amazon (AWS), Google, Meta, Microsoft.

At the busiest point, about 29,533 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 Ohio, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, network/low-voltage technicians, electricians, carpenters, and pipefitters. 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 4,153 ironworkers, but only about 480 of Ohio's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Ohio short about 3,673. 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.

Network/low-voltage technicians — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 1,846 network/low-voltage technicians, but only about 960 of Ohio'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 Ohio short about 886. 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 8,307 electricians, but only about 6,788 of Ohio's electricians are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Ohio short about 1,519. 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.

Carpenters — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 5,076 carpenters, but only about 4,320 of Ohio's carpenters are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Ohio short about 756. When builders cannot find enough carpenters, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Pipefitters — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 3,230 pipefitters at the busiest point — close to all of the ~3,622 pipefitters Ohio has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Sheet metal workers — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 923 sheet metal workers at the busiest point — close to all of the ~1,338 sheet metal workers Ohio has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

HVAC/R technicians — could go either way. The data centers need about 1,846 hvac/r technicians, and Ohio has about 3,392 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Data center technicians — worth training up: YES. Once these data centers open they will need about 2,414 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 Ohio, 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.