Central Ohio’s data center boom is no longer a niche construction trend.
Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Dorsey Hager, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss how this economic force is reshaping the region’s labor market, expanding apprenticeship pipelines and creating sustained demand for union-built infrastructure.
As new campuses move from proposals to construction, labor leaders say the debate must shift from whether these projects belong in Ohio to how communities can prepare for the scale of work already underway.
Central Ohio has emerged as one of the country’s most active regions for data center development, and labor leaders say that momentum is rooted in geography, infrastructure and workforce capacity.
The region sits within reach of a large share of the U.S. population, making it attractive for digital storage and high-speed service delivery. It also benefits from established fiber networks, highway access and a deep bench of workers from two- and four-year institutions. In practical terms, that means companies looking to expand cloud storage, AI processing and digital operations can find both the physical infrastructure and the talent pipeline they need.
For the building trades, that growth has translated into a major shift in the local construction economy. What was once a developing market has become a central pillar of union work across Columbus and surrounding communities. Labor leaders in the region say data centers are no longer isolated projects. They are part of a broader industrial buildout tied to technology, logistics and energy demand.
One of the clearest arguments from labor, Hager said, is that public discussion often understates the employment impact of data centers.
Corporate messaging may focus on the relatively small number of permanent on-site staff once a facility opens. But Hager said that framing misses the much larger workforce required to build, maintain and modernize these campuses over time. In Central Ohio alone, three Google campuses accounted for more than 6.5 million hours in the building trades in a single year. That level of activity represents thousands of jobs across construction and related skilled trades.
The broader trend line is just as striking. According to Hager, over the past decade, annual building trades hours in the region have climbed from about 4 million to more than 18 million, with projections topping 20 million this year. Labor leadership attributes a significant share of that increase to construction in the technology sector, especially data centers.
That matters because these are not marginal jobs. Hager said these are union careers that support families, strengthen benefit funds and create pathways to long-term financial stability. In many cases, workers are earning strong wages with health coverage, retirement security and access to apprenticeship-based advancement.
As data center proposals multiply, so has local scrutiny. Residents and public officials have raised concerns about noise, electricity demand, water use and the pace of development.
Hager acknowledged those concerns but argued that much of the public conversation lacks context. In his view, some infrastructure pressures now being blamed on data centers are also tied to rapid population growth and broader regional expansion. More residents mean greater strain on water systems, more transmission needs and greater demand for upgraded public utilities, regardless of whether a data center campus is nearby.
Hager also contended that some objections can be addressed through direct community engagement. Site visits and public education efforts have become a key part of that strategy. By bringing local officials to existing campuses, labor representatives say they can show how projects are integrated into surrounding areas and separate perception from reality on issues such as noise and visual impact.
The larger point is that these projects are not hypothetical. Hager said these projects are already embedded in the regional economy, and more are on the way. In that environment, Hager said communities are better served by demanding responsible planning than by pretending the sector can simply be turned away.
Energy demand remains one of the most closely watched issues in the data center buildout. These facilities require substantial power, and that has intensified public concern over electric rates and grid capacity.
According to Hager, part of the answer lies in new generation projects designed to support data center operations more directly. In Central Ohio, new gas plants are being developed behind the meter, meaning they are intended to supply power while reducing pressure on the broader grid. Additional projects have also been proposed.
From Hager’s standpoint, that approach could do two things at once: support the region’s expanding technology footprint and create another wave of union construction work tied to energy infrastructure. It also reinforces a broader reality of the current moment. Data center growth is not just about one type of building. It is driving related investment in power, transmission and supporting systems across multiple trades.
Perhaps the strongest evidence of long-term momentum is what is happening inside union apprenticeship programs.
In areas tied closely to data center development, electrical training programs are growing at a remarkable pace. Hager pointed to IBEW Local 1105, which recently marked its largest graduating class to date, with more than 70 journey-level workers completing the program. Hager said he expects future classes to move into triple digits, a sign of how quickly demand is rising.
The Local is also expanding its training footprint, including the renovation of a large facility to create more classroom and hands-on instructional space. That investment reflects a larger shift across the skilled trades. Hager said recruitment is no longer just about replacing retirees. It is about scaling the workforce to meet a sustained pipeline of work.
Hager added that for students and young workers, that changes the conversation. The trades are being presented not as a fallback option but as a direct route to high-value careers in a growing sector. In communities near major campuses, Hager says young people are beginning to see that they can build six-figure careers close to home without leaving the region.
Hager said that, currently, in Ohio, the backlog points to at least six to 10 more years of strong activity, with some projects stretching well beyond that horizon. New campuses in places such as Marysville and southern Ohio suggest the work is spreading geographically as well as deepening in scale.
That outlook is especially significant for the electrical trades, which are at the center of both data center construction and the power systems that support it. But the ripple effects extend far beyond one craft. Mechanical trades, site work, maintenance and ongoing modernization all stand to benefit as campuses expand and technology evolves.
Hager said that this surge in Central Ohio is not only creating jobs today. It is building a durable case for union apprenticeship, regional workforce planning and middle-class opportunity tied to the future of digital infrastructure.
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