General Motors Co.‘s (NYSE: GM) CEO Mary Barra said skilled-trades careers could be "a little more AI-proof" than some other jobs as the U.S. faces a growing shortage of workers with technical skills.
In an episode of Fortune’s Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast published earlier in September, Barra said high school students should consider skilled trades as a career option. She said dealer technicians can earn $80,000 to $90,000, with potentially higher pay depending on hours worked.
Skilled Trades Gap
Barra said the U.S. has a broader "societal issue" because skilled trades are often viewed as less desirable than white-collar careers. She also pointed to rising demand for electricians, partly driven by the expansion of AI data centers.
An estimated 2.1 million skilled-trades jobs could go unfilled nationally by 2030, while more than 300,000 new electricians could be needed over the next decade, according to figures cited by Fortune.
General Motors has invested nearly $200 million in skilled trades and related manufacturing, engineering and technician roles, including community training and facility upgrades. The company also placed about 90 new skilled-trades apprentices across its U.S. manufacturing divisions in April.
AI Infrastructure
The demand extends beyond automakers. Nvidia Corp.’s (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang has said AI infrastructure could create six-figure opportunities for electricians, plumbers, construction workers and steelworkers as data-center and chip-factory construction expands.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has similarly said the U.S. will need hundreds of thousands of skilled tradespeople to build AI infrastructure, while Meta launched a $115 million workforce-training initiative for data-center construction and operations.
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