There’s no official count of AI data center jobs. NAICS 518 is the closest proxy: about half a million workers in 2025, double its 2010 level, with a widening gender gap and a shrinking share of degree holders.
I really enjoyed this post. I do have a question, however, if I may ask?
Why did you write it? Why do you think it's important that people should be aware of the data you've supplied here? Is it an article about employment rates at data centres purely for the sake of data? Or something else?
That’s a great question. It’s mostly because as an economist I love data. Additional, I have been in a few discussions with data center developers who use the jobs narrative to justify immediate approval. My message is to look at the whole picture when considering the economic impact of data centers. Please check out my upcoming series on data centers and the economy. It has 10 parts and this is just the first of 10.
This is so thorough! I'm guessing that the data you've gathered here will become more and more important in the next year.
Thanks Mina. That’s my hope. We need to quantify the job narratives for data centers.
Thank you. I will.
I really enjoyed this post. I do have a question, however, if I may ask?
Why did you write it? Why do you think it's important that people should be aware of the data you've supplied here? Is it an article about employment rates at data centres purely for the sake of data? Or something else?
That’s a great question. It’s mostly because as an economist I love data. Additional, I have been in a few discussions with data center developers who use the jobs narrative to justify immediate approval. My message is to look at the whole picture when considering the economic impact of data centers. Please check out my upcoming series on data centers and the economy. It has 10 parts and this is just the first of 10.