Skilled labor
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Electrical Equipment, Electricians and a Pause in Texas: Data Centers in the Federal Reserve's Beige Book of October 2026
The Federal Reserve's Beige Book of October 2026 summarizes what contacts outside the Federal Reserve System reported in its twelve districts. In the Kansas City Fed's section, "it was noted that the data center buildout has crowded out other production and put pressure on the labor market."
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Design and construction Construction and operations
Particularly High Shortages in Electrically Skilled Occupations: The Energy Department's 2026 Energy and Employment Report
The U.S. Department of Energy released its 2026 Energy and Employment Report on September 3, 2026, and the report finds "particularly high shortages in electrically skilled occupations due to additional demand from the rapidly expanding data center sector."
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Design and construction Construction and operations
Crews, Metal and Power: Data Centers in the Federal Reserve's Beige Book of August 2026
The Federal Reserve's Beige Book of August 2026 mentions data centers in several districts' reports, in construction, labor, materials and power. It summarizes what contacts outside the Federal Reserve System told the reserve banks, and says it "is not a commentary on the views of Federal Reserve officials."
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Design and construction Construction and operations
Several Districts Noting Growth in Data Center Building: The Federal Reserve's Beige Book of July 2026
The Federal Reserve's Beige Book of July 2026 says several of its districts noted growth in data center building. Its Dallas report says new projects are being hindered by limited access to energy, supply chain disruptions and public pushback, and a Philadelphia contact reported projects delayed by a shortage of electricians. It summarizes comments from contacts outside the Federal Reserve System.
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Design and construction Construction and operations
More Muted Than Vibrant: The Minneapolis Fed's Note on Its Spring Construction Survey
A note by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, dated June 22, 2026, reports a spring construction survey in which more than half of respondents reported lower activity. Some businesses, it says, stayed busy with data center work.
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Access to Power Capacity: Alphabet's Data Center Energy Strategy Call of November 2025
Asked on the call whether the primary constraint is "power availability, or construction labor and trade resources," Alphabet's head of data center energy named "access to power capacity" first, and the skilled labor to build and connect that power with it: "It's really a both/and."
