For years, Gen Z has been warned that AI could wipe out entry-level jobs. But Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the opposite is true: opportunities are booming–if young people are ready to learn hands-on skills.
“Gen Z keeps being told their chances of landing a job are slim as AI threatens entry-level jobs. But in reality…they just have to be willing to go to trade school,” Huang told foreign media news channel.
Electricians, Plumbers, Carpenters: The new tech heroes
Huang predicts a massive surge in demand for skilled tradespeople. “If you’re an electrician, you’re a plumber, a carpenter–we’re going to need hundreds of thousands of them to build all of these factories,” he said. “The skilled craft segment of every economy is going to see a boom. You’ve going to have to be doubling and doubling and doubling every single year.”
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It’s not just talk. Nvidia is putting $100 billion into OpenAI to build AI-powered data centers, a move that reflects the wider industry boom. McKinsey projects global capital spending on data centers will hit $7 trillion by 2030.
Also Read: ‘I am afraid to say..’: Why Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sees AI paving way for four-day work weeks
Big money, no college degree required
Construction of a single 250,000-square-foot data center can employ up to 1,500 workers, many earning over $100,000 with overtime–all without a college degree. After the facility opens, about 50 full-time employees maintain it, and each job creates an additional 3.5 positions in the local economy.
For those thinking software is the only way forward, Huang has a different perspective: the next wave of opportunity lies in the physical side of technology.
Physical science over coding
Asked what he would study if he were 20 today, Huang said: “For the young, 20-year-old Jensen, that’s graduated now, he probably would have chosen…more of the physical sciences than the software sciences.” In other words, learning to work with your hands–and understanding how machines and infrastructure function–may be the smartest career move in the age of AI.
Also Read: ‘We need brightest minds, smartest people’: Jensen Huang, Sam Altman back Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee hike
A talent shortage CEOs can’t ignore
Huang’s warnings are echoed by other top leaders. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has raised alarms about a shortage of skilled trades in the US, blaming immigration restrictions and lack of interest among young Americans: “I’ve even told members of the Trump team that we’re going to run out of electricians that we need to build out AI data centers,” Fink said. “We just don’t have enough.”
Ford CEO Jim Farley has issued similar warnings, highlighting the gap between US reshoring goals and the workforce needed to make them a reality: “I think the intent is there, but there’s nothing to backfill the ambition,” Farley said. “How can we reshore all this stuff if we don’t have people to work there?”
The numbers tell the story: the US already faces a shortfall of 600,000 factory workers and 500,000 construction workers, according to Farley.