Posted on 05/10/2026 8:33:21 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The artificial-intelligence boom was just getting past its last bottleneck. Now, another one is popping up—electricians.
A year ago, a shortage of natural gas turbines was the biggest limiting factor behind the AI boom, because data centers couldn’t build enough power plants to get electricity to those data centers. But turbine-makers have been ramping up production.
Today, a shortage of contractors with electrical expertise is the most pressing problem.
Rob Gaudette, CEO of power producer NRG, laments the shortage of “qualified construction crews. Because if you have a turbine and no humans, you just have a turbine.”
GE Vernova, the global leader in turbines said last month that turbines “are really not the gating item” slowing down data centers, pointing instead to other factors like a lack of EPCs, or engineering, procurement, and construction firms. EPCs can mobilize hundreds of workers to build major infrastructure projects.
It is not a problem that can be solved instantly. The speed of the AI buildout is straining America’s skilled electricity workforce. Over the next decade, America is expected to need an additional 81,000 electricians a year, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics says, among the fastest growth rates of any profession.
By 2034, America is on track to have less than two electrical engineers for every megawatt of power capacity the country needs to add, down from seven in 2024, according to Ben Lowe, an energy expert at consultancy Roland Berger. “The fact of the matter is we just don’t have enough people to do the work,” he said.
The shortage has tech companies worried. Big tech players have no time to waste when it comes to the AI buildout. They’re spending $700 billion this year alone to build out data centers and other major capital projects.
(Excerpt) Read more at barrons.com ...
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A year ago, a shortage of natural gas turbines was the biggest limiting factor behind the AI boom, because data centers couldn’t build enough power plants to get electricity to those data centers. But turbine-makers have been ramping up production.
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Why was there a shortage of natural gas turbines just a year ago? Because, we just finished with Obama/Biden’s War on Coal, and shuttered and dismantled dozens of coal powered electric generating plants with 20-30 years of useful service left! And, while China and India were building new coal plants!
That’s OK. There are thousands of Mumabai H1B “electricians” headed her right now.
They will reach out to India to supply the man power. The problem with that solution is India is a low trust society. Most of the applications will list fake credentials. If you hire them anyways they will bring in their corrupt comrades rather than the skilled people you actually need .
Classic Hegelian Dialectic move.
JMO, YMMV
Maine has free community college for Mainers. A good number of students are entering the trades. Students enrolled in the electrician’s program are finding part-time jobs as helpers almost immediately after they begin the program.
My grandson is an electrician in CA. $$$
Well the difference between the fake credential dots brought in to code and the experience you need to work with electricity is a self correcting problem. If they try to bring in H1B electricians and linemen the states will quickly smell like fried curry.
“They will reach out to India to supply the man power. The problem with that solution is India is a low trust society. Most of the applications will list fake credentials. If you hire them anyways they will bring in their corrupt comrades rather than the skilled people you actually need.”
Don’t get me wrong, THEY WILL TRY. But it’s a lot harder to get away with fake Indian electricians, by definition ‘in the field’, not in some hidden office doing coding. Among other problems (like access to construction sites being a lot easier for authorities than offices), they’ll have to deal with a lot more than disorganized FreeRepublic complainers, they’ll have to deal with the Union Boys not wanting them around, and those boys can call-in the Democrats to get them removed, along with ‘other options’ for making their lives miserable.
That’s bc they have to work, it’s part of the state requirements for licensure. So if they aren’t getting jobs then the end isn’t a license.
At the moment some companies are playing the name game. They’re hiring ‘electrical techs’ who are unskilled working under a master or corporate license. My current company did that stupid game for many yrs and has gone back to requiring a license. The mess left to clean up is massive and dangerous.
“As a FReeper once posted: “That is a mind-boogling number.””
Didn’t think of it, but come to think of it, that is a lot. Let’s say they work 30 years in that profession (many will work a lot longer, since they don’t spend a decade goofing off in college) - that is a lot of people, about 2.5 MILLION, to be exact.
“At the moment some companies are playing the name game. They’re hiring ‘electrical techs’ who are unskilled working under a master or corporate license. My current company did that stupid game for many yrs and has gone back to requiring a license. The mess left to clean up is massive and dangerous.”
You made me think of something. Maybe there’s a lot of H1B’s doing coding that are sending their projects to the much-lower-paid people back in the ‘old country’, to get their work done, so they’re just intermediaries in the US - or at least getting help from the ‘old country’. Total speculation, but that ain’t happening when it comes to stringing wires.
A data center is very profitable to investors when they're not paying the full cost of building and running it.
Instead, let's create a license that's tagged to such data centers, and the full cost of training, pay, and separation and retraining to another career costs be born by the owners and operators of those data centers.
For those data centers that are run for the three-letter government agency - make those data center licensed electricians federal employees assigned to those agencies.
I think it’s time to raise my rates. ;)
The biggest problem is going to be the masses with torches and pitchforks.
But journeyman is only the first step - next is a Master's license - another 8000 hours of work experience and another round of exams.
Plus continuing education every 2 years.
Also if you have only been doing residential then you can't sit for a commercial license. You need that experience also.
And the final obstacle are the exam's themselves. Difficult, short session times, and a 50% failure rate. Then you have to wait for a period before you can try again.
As I posted earlier - time to raise my rates.
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