In the AI age, data centers and power companies compete for the same core workforce
Amid AI data center growth, power companies and data center operators are increasingly vying for the same pool of skilled technical workers
Zac Quayle
Kate Hardin
Carolyn Amon
Jaya Nagdeo
Shih Yu (Elsie) Hung
AI is transforming the US economy, and as data centers expand to meet growing AI workloads, they are driving a historic surge in electricity demand. Deloitte estimates that data center power demand will jump from 47 gigawatts in 2025 to more than 176 gigawatts by 2035.1
The buildout of power and data center infrastructure depends on some of the same core workforce, which includes computer specialists, engineers, technicians, power plant operators, and line workers who operate the physical backbone of the AI economy. Rising competition in hiring for those roles is emerging as a strategic risk.
An overlapping labor pool
Deloitte examined US job postings from 2023 through 2025 across power companies and data center developers. The analysis focused on 39 core occupations across five core roles—computer specialists, engineers, technicians, power plant operators, and line workers—that form the backbone of both sectors. These roles represent more than 40% of the existing workforce in power companies and data centers.2 The analysis found that more than one-third of new postings targeted the same set of workers,3 underscoring the degree to which both sectors now lean on the same talent pool.
Competition for core roles is intensifying. Between 2023 and 2025, power sector job postings for core roles rose 20%, while data center postings surged 64%—far outpacing the 4% growth in postings for these core roles across the broader economy (figure 1).
Some of the steepest increases in power company postings came from nuclear-related occupations. Postings for nuclear power plant operators increased nearly tenfold,4 while postings for nuclear engineers rose almost 60%. Mechanical engineers led the pack among high-growth engineering roles. Meanwhile, postings for computer specialist roles—such as research scientists and systems managers—grew quickly as utilities adopted more data and automation tools for grid operations (figure 2).
Postings by data centers for electrical technicians climbed more than 180%, the greatest increase across occupations analyzed. In addition, postings for power plant operators rose just over 56%.5 These roles are critical to help manage onsite power assets, including backup systems. Downtime can trigger contractual penalties and major financial losses, adding urgency to hiring.
Preparing the workforce for AI infrastructure growth
Executives across both sectors say the strain is already visible. In Deloitte’s 2025 AI Infrastructure Survey, power sector leaders ranked competition for skilled employees as their top workforce challenge, while 63% of data center executives cited a shortage of data center-related skilled labor as their No. 1 obstacle to securing talent.6 The challenges are multifold: Both sectors are scaling at the same time and rely on the same core workforce, many roles increasingly require digital and AI skills, and training can be lengthy.
Where and when might shortages emerge? What skill development is needed? How could cross-sector collaboration help close gaps? Answers to these questions will be key to helping ensure US power companies and data centers have the workforce needed to operate rapidly expanding AI infrastructure.
BY
Zac Quayle
Kate Hardin
Carolyn Amon
Jaya Nagdeo
Shih Yu (Elsie) Hung
Cover image by: Shutterstock