Tradies emerge as unlikely winners of the AI boom – How It’s Going Viral in 2026

Australia’s expanding AI ecosystem is creating a surprising beneficiary: tradies. New data from Seek’s AI Gauge report shows that the demand for AI-related skills in job ads has more than tripled over the last decade.

One of the most pronounced shifts tied to AI is in the physical infrastructure that makes it work, particularly data centre construction and support roles.

Unlike aggregate job ads, which declined in 2023, AI-related ads stopped falling and began rising again, showing continued investment in the sector even as broader hiring softened.

Data centre roles broadly tracked that same trajectory before diverging. According to Seek’s analysis, job ads related to data centres followed the same broad movements as AI-related jobs, were largely flat in 2024, and then recorded a steep increase in 2025.

“Data centre job ads have followed the same broad movements as AI-related jobs … but rather than trending up in 2024, data centre job ads were basically flat before a sharp increase in 2025,” the report says.

According to Seek, there were more job ads for construction and site management roles related to data centres than IT job ads for data centres. Unlike traditional tech roles, these jobs often reflect labour demand for electricians, electrical technicians, HVAC technicians and other tradespeople.

“While some of this labour demand will be temporary as it is driven by the building of the data centres, some of it will be longer term as it relates to ongoing maintenance of these centres,” the report says.

The report points out that electricians and air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics are on the national shortage list from Jobs & Skills Australia, illustrating how AI infrastructure growth could exacerbate existing trade labour pressures.

It also goes on to say that spending on equipment for data centres has increased notably in the past two years, with a marked rise in 2025, suggesting labour demand linked to AI infrastructure may remain elevated.

For employers already struggling to fill trades roles, the data centre boom presents a dual challenge: competition for a limited pool of skilled labour, and upward pressure on wages as demand outstrips supply.

As it turns out, the AI economy is far more reliant on the physical world and laborers than what people may have initially thought.

Interestingly, the report also revealed that despite this specific AI and tradie surge, AI-related job ads still account for only 1.5% of total job ads on Seek.