As a wave of data center projects spreads across Wisconsin, leaders in the construction and labor industries say the surge is creating one of the strongest long-term job pipelines they have seen in decades—especially as other parts of the economy slow down. Billions of dollars in planned and active data center investments are reshaping how unions recruit, how colleges train workers, and how young people enter the trades.
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Across the country, the demand for infrastructure to power artificial intelligence is driving corporate spending at a scale rarely seen in the construction market. Wisconsin has become one of the most active regions in the Midwest, with Meta, Microsoft and other major tech firms proposing or building facilities across the state. For union leaders and educators, these massive facilities represent not only short-term construction boosts, but a steady stream of work stretching well into the next decade.
Pat Nilsen, executive secretary-treasurer for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters—which represents nearly 27,000 union members across six states—said on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that the tech-sector building spree is filling a critical gap.
“Data centers are so big and they need such a workforce that it gives us the opportunity to go out and recruit,” Nilsen said. “The apprentices go through our apprenticeship program, but they also get on-the-job hours that they need.”
Nilsen’s union has already backed a large-scale proposal in DeForest, estimating that the project alone could sustain 5,000 construction jobs over the next decade. At a time when the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the national economy will add nearly 110,000 construction jobs in the same period, data center work is becoming central to meeting workforce needs—and keeping union halls full.
While Wisconsin’s data centers rise, other key construction sectors are cooling. Willie Gonwa, director of civil and architectural engineering and construction management at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, told “Wisconsin Today” that the shift is unmistakable.
“Everything else in the construction industry is slowing down,” Gonwa said. “Residential apartment buildings are slowing down, a lot of the office buildings are rising in default rates, which are slowing things down. The only thing that is booming, that is really going on right now, is these data centers.”
Gonwa’s department trains future civil, architectural, and construction management professionals. Those students are stepping into a market hungry for specialized skills in electrical systems, cooling infrastructure, power distribution, security, and structural design—areas essential in large-scale data center projects.
He said this semester brought the largest class size in the department’s history, and the hiring outcomes are unrivaled.
“The only people who don’t get jobs are the people who don’t want jobs,” Gonwa said. “Everyone gets a job because there is so much work to be done.”
Data centers require millions of labor hours across trades—carpenters, electricians, pipefitters, ironworkers, masons, and low-voltage technicians, among many others. Once completed, many facilities also need ongoing maintenance, creating a secondary layer of long-term jobs.
Industry analysts note additional benefits:
Nearby communities see boosts in hospitality, retail, housing demand, and small business growth.
Apprentices learn cutting-edge systems unique to digital infrastructure, giving them skills increasingly valued nationwide.
Unlike speculative office or residential development, data center construction is backed by guaranteed corporate funding.
Wisconsin's central geography and relatively low power costs make it attractive for hyperscale data center development.
And as AI tools require exponentially more computing power, leaders expect more projects to land in the state.
For unions, the moment is strategic. After years of cyclical construction, data centers provide the stability needed to recruit younger workers, expand apprenticeship capacity, and strengthen the pipeline for future leadership.
For engineering schools, the surge ensures graduates enter a market where skills translate directly into well-paying, in-demand careers.
The boom may not reverse the slowdown in other parts of the construction economy—but for Wisconsin’s labor force, it’s creating an unprecedented opportunity to prepare the next generation of workers for a decade of high-tech building.
Originally reported by Royce Podeszwa in WPR.
