Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says: AI will turn these low-paying jobs in America into six-figure jobs
Several tech leaders have highlighted AI-led job cuts but also pointed out that the technology has the capacity to create entirely new roles. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has predicted an unexpected gold rush in certain types of low-paying jobs. Speaking at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, Huang declared that the massive infrastructure required to power the AI data centres will transform traditional ‘blue-collar’ jobs into six-figure careers.Huang argued that the $7 trillion global push to build data centers and “AI factories” represents the largest infrastructure buildout in human history, essentially pointing out that the AI will not be confined to software engineers but also people who are physically building these massive centres.“First of all, uh this is the largest infrastructure buildout in human history. That’s going to that’s going to create a lot of jobs. And it’s it’s wonderful that that the jobs are related to tradecraft. We’re going to have plumbers and electricians and construction and steel workers and network technicians and people who who install and fit out the equipment and all of these jobs we’re going to in the United States we’re seeing quite a significant boom in this area. The salaries have gone up nearly double. And so we’re talking about six figure salaries for for people who are building uh chip factories or computer factories or AI factories,” he said in conversation with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, emphasising that the path to a high-paying career is changing. “And we have a great shortage in that and and I’m really delighted to see so so many people in so many countries really recognizing this important area. You know, everybody everybody should be able to make a great living,” he added.Adding to Huang’s prediction, BlackRock’s Larry Fink said, “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. We just don’t have enough.”
Nvidia CEO predicted high demand for ‘blue-collar’ jobs last year
Last year in October, Huang said demand for electricians, plumbers and carpenters will rise sharply as the construction of data centres accelerates. “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. 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,” Huang told Channel 4 News in the UK.The Nvidia CEO also said he would choose physical sciences over software if he were a student today. “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,” he said.
