---
title: "Blackstone’s Jon Gray sees AI fueling 30,000 new trade jobs"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/286454346.md"
description: "Jon Gray of Blackstone predicts that AI will create 30,000 new blue-collar jobs due to the expansion of data centers, with QTS construction staffing expected to quadruple by 2026. Data center construction workers earn an average of $81,800 annually, which is 32% higher than their non-data center counterparts. However, there is a significant challenge in filling these roles, with a potential shortfall of 2.1 million skilled trade jobs by 2030, leading to an estimated $1 trillion in economic losses if training does not keep pace with demand."
datetime: "2026-05-14T18:39:18.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/286454346.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286454346.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/286454346.md)
---

# Blackstone’s Jon Gray sees AI fueling 30,000 new trade jobs

AI drives trade boom: Jon Gray forecasts 30,000 new blue-collar jobs from AI data center expansion, with QTS construction staffing set to quadruple in 2026. Pay outpaces average: Data center construction workers earn about $81,800 annually, roughly 32% more than non-data center peers, but filling roles remains challenging. Labor gap risk: Up to 2.1 million skilled trade jobs could go unfilled by 2030, risking $1 trillion in annual economic losses if training pipelines lag demand.

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