AI reshapes US workforce, boosting blue-collar jobs over college degrees
9 reported1 unconfirmed
A CNBC report examines how the spread of artificial intelligence is altering the U.S. labor market, with companies like AT&T struggling to find skilled blue-collar workers while recent college graduates face a tougher job market. AT&T CEO John Stankey said the company needs workers who understand electricity, photonics, and fiber infrastructure, noting that such workers are not abundant in the United States. The report states that AI is absorbing entry-level work that once gave graduates their start, and hiring has slowed, especially for workers with little experience in fields like marketing, legal, accounting, human resources, and IT. Meanwhile, many new jobs created by the AI boom are blue-collar roles centered on constructing and maintaining data centers, often not requiring a four-year degree. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the infrastructure buildout will create jobs for plumbers, electricians, construction workers, and network technicians, many with six-figure salaries. AT&T announced a $250 billion investment over five years to expand its fiber network, with about 15% used for hiring and training blue-collar front-line workers. The report notes that the average unemployment rate for recent college graduates ages 22 to 27 rose to about 5.4% in 2025, up from a historical average of 4.5%.
What’s reported
AT&T CEO John Stankey said the company needs workers skilled in electricity, photonics, and fiber infrastructure, and that such workers are not abundant in the U.S.
The report states AI is absorbing entry-level work that once gave college graduates their start.
Hiring has slowed hardest for workers with little real-world experience in AI-exposed industries such as marketing, legal, accounting, human resources, and IT.
Many new AI-related jobs are blue-collar roles centered on data center construction and maintenance, not requiring a four-year degree.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the infrastructure buildout will create jobs for plumbers, electricians, construction workers, and network technicians, many with six-figure salaries.
AT&T announced a $250 billion investment over five years to expand its fiber network, with about 15% for hiring and training blue-collar front-line workers.
The average unemployment rate for recent college graduates ages 22 to 27 rose to about 5.4% in 2025, compared to a historical average of 4.5%.
Stanford research found early-career workers in AI-exposed roles saw 16% slower employment growth between mid-2024 and September 2025.
Census Bureau research found hiring of workers ages 22 to 24 dropped 9% after ChatGPT launched in late 2022 in AI-exposed industries, with a 12% to 15% employment decline through mid-2025, equating to about 150,000 fewer early-career jobs.
Open questions
It is unclear how sustainable the blue-collar job boom will be once companies complete an expected wave of chip factories, data centers, and other AI-fueled construction in the coming years.
Key figures
John Stankey, CEO of AT&T
May Hu, 26-year-old tech consultant turned social media influencer, former Deloitte employee
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia
Shannan Clark, associate professor of history at Montclair State University
Aaron Cheris, global head of Bain & Company’s retail practice
Erik Brynjolfsson, Stanford University economist and author of a research paper on AI and employment
Lee Tucker, senior economist with the Center for Economic Studies at the U.S. Census Bureau
Sources: CNBC
