Construction Industry Faces 439,000-Worker Shortage from Data Centers

Meghan Ostertag (ITIF) reports that the U.S. construction industry faces a shortage of roughly 439,000 workers, driven largely by a boom in data center construction tied to artificial intelligence growth.

• Main announcement: The article cites WSJ reporting that the U.S. construction industry is short ~439,000 workers, with over 400 data centers currently under development by tech firms Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, causing construction firms to face backlogs of close to a year. Data center construction jobs pay up to 30% more than typical construction jobs.
• Background/details: The shortage is concentrated in skilled trades (electricians, pipe layers); a local electricians’ union serving D.C., Maryland, and Virginia reports membership doubled since 2018 to 14,700 members. The piece is commentary summarizing WSJ reporting (Te-Ping Chen, Nov 29, 2025).