By Realtor.com
Publication Date: 2026-08-15 16:07:00
Workers in America are eyeing blue-collar trades—such as construction, plumbing, and steelwork—with new interest.
Even CEOs like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang are on that list. Huang recently predicted that the next wave of six-figure jobs won’t come from Silicon Valley, but from the crews building the data centers powering it.
These jobs pay over $100,000, require no college degree, and are desperate for bodies: hundreds of thousands of electricians, laborers, and supervisors, with nowhere near enough people to fill the roles.
Skilled trades are already stretched thin, and the same shortage now competing for data center construction crews is one more strain on a housing industry that can’t build fast enough.
“The shrinking and aging construction labor force is a major issue in the homebuilding industry right now, leading to increased labor costs and longer construction timelines for new homes,” says Realtor.com® senior economist Joel Berner. “Where zoning may completely prevent some projects from being started, the labor shortage could prevent them from completed profitably and on time.”
So, the question becomes, can the…