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

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.