Bechtel skilled trades warning centers on AI, energy projects
Bechtel’s CEO says AI, LNG, nuclear and chip projects face a craft labor bottleneck as U.S. infrastructure demand rises.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
Bechtel skilled trades training has become a central issue for U.S. growth, the company’s CEO argued in a Fortune commentary, as demand rises for AI data centers, reshored manufacturing and new energy projects. The CEO said the country’s ability to build will depend as much on craft labor as on capital, technology or political support.
The commentary framed the issue around America’s 250th anniversary, saying infrastructure has long been tied to U.S. economic power, from railroads and highways to refineries, pipelines, nuclear plants, LNG terminals and defense systems. Bechtel’s CEO said those projects were made possible by generations of carpenters, masons, laborers, ironworkers, equipment operators, teamsters, pipefitters, welders and electricians.
Why does Bechtel say skilled trades matter for AI?
Bechtel’s CEO said the main labor constraint on U.S. AI ambitions may come from construction and industrial trades rather than from a lack of computer scientists. AI infrastructure means the data centers and supporting power, cooling, mechanical and construction systems needed to run large computing operations.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the U.S. will need 140,000 additional electricians, HVAC technicians, pipefitters, heavy-equipment operators, welders and construction laborers by 2030 for AI-related infrastructure alone, according to the commentary. The CEO said that demand is arriving while the country also faces aging grids, roads and ports.
The commentary said the skilled-trades pipeline has not kept up after years in which many families and schools treated trade careers as a backup to college. Skilled trades, in this context, are hands-on careers that require technical training and experience to build, operate or maintain industrial and infrastructure projects.
What do the labor numbers show?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects skilled-trades employment will grow about 5% from 2024 to 2034, which the commentary said is roughly 70% faster than the national average. The BLS data cited by Bechtel also shows those jobs pay above the median U.S. wage.
Bechtel’s CEO said apprenticeships, community college programs and industry-led training should expand for young people, military veterans and mid-career workers. The commentary also said communities are investing in apprenticeships, states are rebuilding vocational training, and private and philanthropic money is going into workforce programs.
Bechtel cited its own projects as examples of the labor scale involved. The company said it has operated in engineering and construction for 128 years and has worked with schools, unions, training groups and local communities to create routes into craft careers.
According to the commentary, Bechtel mobilized more than 9,000 craft workers in Georgia several years ago to complete the first large-scale nuclear reactors built in the U.S. in three decades. The company said about 17,000 craft professionals are now working across five major LNG projects along the Gulf Coast.
Bechtel also said it expects more than 4,500 construction jobs tied to building what it described as America’s largest semiconductor facility in New York. The CEO argued that training more builders is essential if the U.S. wants to deliver the next wave of industrial and energy projects.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.