Ford CEO warns there’s a dearth of blue-collar workers able to construct AI data centers and operate factories: ‘Nothing to backfill the ambition’

Core Insights - The U.S. is at risk of failing to achieve its ambitious AI goals due to a significant labor shortage in key sectors necessary for building and maintaining AI infrastructure [1][2][3] - The AI market is projected to grow to $4.8 trillion by 2033, highlighting the urgency of addressing workforce issues in manufacturing and data centers [1][2] - Current labor shortages include 600,000 factory workers, 500,000 construction workers, and a projected need for 400,000 auto technicians in the next three years [3] Labor Shortage Impact - The labor shortage is particularly acute in the AI sector, with data center operators facing challenges in expanding due to a lack of skilled construction workers [4][5] - A survey by Uptime Institute indicated that 50% of data center operators struggled to find candidates for open positions, an increase from 38% in 2018 [6] - A Deloitte report found that 51% of surveyed executives in power companies and data centers identified skilled labor shortages as a core challenge, with over 60% citing it as their top issue [6]