Boom calls for trade workers | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

A data center building boom is pulling electricians and other skilled trade workers away from broader construction activity, according to reports from Michigan training centers. Tyler Shelton, 29, an electrician in training, says his company has shifted many workers to a large data center in Saline Township, about an hour from Detroit. The project is described as the biggest single investment in Michigan’s history, requiring hundreds of electricians working 10-hour days, seven days a week, with crews competing for labor even as other sectors struggle after the pandemic and amid housing pressure from high interest rates. Indeed analysis cited by the story says data center installation and maintenance jobs pay 42% more per hour than comparable roles elsewhere, supported by programs including a $50 million Google effort to raise apprenticeship enrollment to 30,000 from 19,500.