Demand for Blue-Collar Workers in Texas Data Centers

Red Oak, Texas — In a vast data center campus in Texas, the arranged rows of cables and blinking lights support the technology that Americans rely on daily. However, maintaining this infrastructure requires a significant number of electricians, technicians, and construction workers, and the industry believes it requires even more workers.

Chris Crosby, the CEO of Compass Datacenters, shared with Fox News Digital that he feels a bygone era has incorrectly devalued blue-collar jobs, insisting that it’s time for a change. “I’m so glad that’s over with,” he stated, while explaining the essential role these jobs play in supporting the digital landscape.

He expressed his frustration with the notion that blue-collar work is not impactful, emphasizing the significance of the workforce at Compass’s Red Oak site and the construction teams that contributed to its development.

“You tell that to the 900 people who work here on this campus and the thousands of construction workers who have been on the job for five years and counting,” he remarked.

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Compass started its Red Oak campus, located roughly 20 miles from Dallas, in 2019. The facility now houses ten data center buildings, covering about 2.6 million square feet, alongside a manufacturing site run by Schneider Electric and a technical training program. Crosby noted that over 600 individuals are employed full-time at the campus, with an additional 300 working at Schneider Electric.

Crosby further elaborated on the need for skilled labor, citing various trades required for construction. “When we look at that type of opportunity—the electricians, mechanical contractors, carpenters, welders, and concrete workers—it’s incredible. We can’t seem to attract enough talent to fill those roles,” he said.

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The demand for labor extends beyond construction; it also reaches into factories that manufacture components for data centers. According to Crosby, Compass and its partners have generated over 7,000 permanent jobs in factories across the country.

To tackle the shortage of workers, Compass has teamed up with Texas State Technical College to develop a training facility at their Red Oak site, investing $12.6 million. They’ve launched the MEI Pathways program—short for Mechanical, Electrical and IT Pathways—to prepare individuals for careers in these fields.

“The big challenge is figuring out how to kick-start that first step,” Crosby noted. “That’s the purpose of MEI Pathways.” This program is accessible to anyone interested and doesn’t require previous qualifications. It is focused on preparing workers for the industry at large, rather than just for Compass.

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Crosby believes that cultivating this workforce will be crucial as the data center sector continues to grow, arguing that these facilities can generate substantial job opportunities and tax income for local communities. “Data centers will be the economic driving force in the future,” he emphasized. “They represent an enormous number of jobs, economic activity, and tax revenue growth.”