- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other executives at the World Economic Forum in Davos emphasized the significance of qualified trades as artificial intelligence begins to replace office-based roles.
- “we’re discussing six-digit incomes for individuals constructing semiconductor plants or computer facilities or artificial intelligence production sites,” huang stated.
- Studies from Microsoft indicate that roles which are least susceptible to automation by artificial intelligence typically require interaction with people or machinery.
Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, stated that the rise of artificial intelligence will lead to “six-digit incomes” for individuals involved in constructing the facilities that support it—marking another high-profile figure advocating for vocational skills as AI begins affecting white-collar positions.
Huang, considered one of the leading experts in artificial intelligence, expressed a positive outlook regarding its influence on employment during his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.
This is the most extensive infrastructure development in human history, which will generate numerous job opportunities,” Huang stated. “It’s great that these positions involve trades, and we’ll be employing plumbers, electricians, construction laborers, steelworkers, network specialists, as well as individuals responsible for installing and setting up the equipment.
Huang mentioned that he was observing “a substantial increase” in this field, with wages almost doubling.
“Thus, we’re discussing six-digit incomes for individuals constructing semiconductor plants or computer facilities or artificial intelligence centers,” he continued.
The chance that AI could remove jobs has been the main topic of discussion at the WEF this week following the technology being viewed as playing a role in…
nearly 55,000 layoffs
In the U.S. in 2025, according to December figures from the consulting company Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Amazon, Salesforce, Accenture, and Lufthansa were some of the organizations mentioning AI as a factor in their decisions.
reducing staff in 2025
cutting workforce in 2025
dismissing workers in 2025
employee reductions in 2025
staff cutbacks in 2025
terminating employment in 2025
workforce downsizing in 2025
job losses in 2025
company layoffs in 2025
personnel reduction in 2025
.
Kristalina Georgieva, head of the International Monetary Fund, stated on Tuesday that artificial intelligence is “crashing into the job market like a tidal wave, with most nations and companies unready for its impact.”
However,
Microsoft’s research in 2025
discovered that manual labor positions had the lowest chance of being replaced by automation, making them more secure against workforce reductions and terminations. These occupations included tasks such as blood draw technicians, assistants, painters, drywall finishers, and maritime engineers.
A study examining information from 200,000 interactions with Microsoft Bing Copilot between January and September 2024 looked into the extent to which users turned to the chatbot for help finishing tasks. Individuals engaged in manual jobs, either involving people or machinery, showed the lowest tendency to use artificial intelligence.
“It is essential for everyone to have the opportunity to earn a good income. You don’t require a doctorate in computer science to achieve this,” Huang stated.
Pursue vocational training
Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice President of the European Commission responsible for social rights, skills, decent work, and readiness, stated during an interview with Bignewshub at the World Economic Forum that youth should focus on vocational education to obtain these manual labor positions.
“A large number of job opportunities exist within the technical field. I have discussed this with the semiconductor sector, which manufactures chips used in communications. They require 75,000 individuals who have received vocational training—technicians as well as holders of various kinds of certifications,” Mînzatu stated.
When questioned regarding AI eliminating entry-level positions and increasing difficulty in entering the workforce, she responded: “I am not particularly worried about the younger generation’s capacity to acquire the necessary skills for such roles.”
In the meantime, manual labor positions seem to remain prevalent
More appealing to Generation Z
More captivating for Gen Z
More enticing to younger generations
More alluring to Millennials and Gen Z
More engaging for the younger crowd
More trendy for Gen Z
More fashionable for young people
More compelling for the next generation
More desirable to the youth demographic
More relevant to Generation Z
— individuals who were born between 1997 and 2012 — partly due to the expensive nature of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in the United States. According to BignewshubMake It calculations from 2025, the yearly expense of enrolling in a four-year, in-state public university rose approximately 30% from 2011 to 2023.
Currently, there are approximately 2 million fewer students enrolled in a conventional four-year college compared to 2011.
Nich Tremper
, a senior economist at the payroll and benefits platform Gusto, said during Make It at Bignewshub.
By the end of the first quarter of 2024, 18% of employees were members of Generation Z,
as per the U.S. Department of Labor
but accounted for almost 25% of all new employees in skilled trades during that year,
according to Gusto
.
