A community should not have to choose between welcoming new investment and having roads that work. Yet that is the frustration behind a reasonable question about the data center boom. If workers can be found to build the facilities powering artificial intelligence, why does repairing everyday infrastructure still feel so difficult?
I believe the answer requires looking beyond which project wins the next construction crew. Data center development should help expand the workforce and local capacity that communities will need after construction ends. That means making training, small-business participation, and community planning part of the project from the beginning.
The pressure on construction is real. In a 2025 survey by the Associated General Contractors of America and NCCER, 92 percent of construction firms that were hiring reported difficulty finding qualified workers. Forty-five percent said labor shortages were causing project delays. Those findings describe a broader workforce problem that cannot reasonably be reduced to a single category of development.
That distinction matters. A town waiting for a road repair deserves more than reassurance that private investment will eventually benefit everyone. But treating every new data center as an obstacle to public infrastructure leaves another question unanswered. How do we increase the number of people qualified to build either?
Planners Need a Broad View of Development
My concern is that we are evaluating projects too narrowly. A development can look attractive on paper while leaving unresolved questions about where workers will live, how they will commute, and whether local contractors can participate. These questions belong in the planning process, before communities are expected to accommodate the consequences.
Environmental concerns belong there, too. The Department of Energy’s updated data center energy report estimates that these facilities accounted for 4.7 percent of U.S. electricity consumption in 2024. Communities have legitimate reasons to scrutinize utility demands and ask who will pay for necessary improvements. A credible case for development must address those concerns alongside its potential benefits.
Workforce development should receive the same attention. I would like developers to make funded apprenticeship and on-the-job training commitments part of their construction plans. Hiring experienced workers may meet an immediate deadline. Helping train additional workers could leave something more durable behind.
There is an established foundation for this approach. Registered apprenticeships combine paid employment, instruction, and mentoring, leading to a portable, nationally recognized credential. The opportunity is to connect construction demand with structured learning that workers can carry into future projects.
That requires more than announcing training places. Developers and contractors should identify who will supervise apprentices, how instruction will be funded, and how participants can continue their training when a particular job ends. Safety and supervision must remain central. A construction deadline should never become an excuse to rush someone through preparation.
Bring Small Businesses Into the Loop Early
Small businesses deserve a practical route into that plan. Developers should publish contracting opportunities early, explain qualification requirements clearly, and require appropriately sized work packages that qualified local firms can realistically pursue. A business that gains experience and capacity on a major project may be better positioned to serve other customers afterward.
None of this guarantees that workers will remain nearby or that every public project will suddenly move faster. Construction jobs and permanent operating positions should also be presented separately. Communities need realistic expectations about employment, rather than a single jobs figure that obscures what happens when building finishes.
Without that discipline, a community could accommodate a major development and still face the same shortages when its own infrastructure needs attention. With it, investment could help create more skilled workers, stronger local businesses, and clearer plans for the services residents depend on. Those benefits must be deliberately pursued.
Before offering public incentives or committing public resources, local leaders should seek a published plan covering workforce training, small-business access, infrastructure responsibilities, and progress reporting. Developers should help fund and deliver those commitments, with responsibilities agreed in advance. Residents should be able to see what was promised and whether it happened.
The lasting value of a data center should include what its community becomes better equipped to build next.
Danica Bilicich-Mason is board president of the California Infrastructure Delivery Coalition and advocates for workforce development, small-business participation and long-term infrastructure planning. All opinions are the author’s own.