AI Is Powering a Blue‑Collar Hiring Boom Few Saw Coming

 

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By: Bruce Crumley

The spread of artificial intelligence tools automating a wide range of work tasks has sparked considerable fear that the apps will eventually take over jobs that millions of humans now perform. But a new study warns that surging adoption of the tech by businesses may hit an unexpected wall unless far more skilled trade workers are trained to build and maintain the infrastructure and other support AI needs to operate.

That scenario was explored in a recent analysis by Dutch recruitment company Randstad, which challenges the notion that AI use will soon lead to millions of net job losses. While it’s probably inevitable that some companies will use apps and bots to cut their headcounts, Randstad said that development and deployment of the tech are generating far more employment opportunities in other areas of the labor market. Chief among those is work in a variety of skilled trades that support the manufacturing and servicing of the infrastructure that AI needs to function.

“The debate around AI’s impact on jobs often speculates on job displacement, but a critical reality is being overlooked: The technology is spurring soaring demand for skilled trade talent required to train, implement, and sustain it,” Randstad’s blog post earlier this month said. “These roles are increasingly highly specialized, digital-first positions. From electricians to robot technicians, digital fluency is now a prerequisite.”

But with businesses having largely prioritized college degrees over manual skills when hiring in recent decades, there’s now a shortfall of the qualified workers desperately needed by companies developing or using AI. That critical labor is focused on building, equipping, and maintaining data centers and other infrastructure the tech relies on to operate, but is insufficient to satisfy demand. Read more...

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