The United States will need 1.7 million new skilled trades workers annually through 2035, but training programs are producing barely half that number, as immigration enforcement, an aging workforce and rising demand for data centers intensify labor shortages, according to a New Jersey Monitor report.
The report, citing September research from the Alliance for America's Skilled Trades, found that only half of those entering skilled trades training programs complete them. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, machinists and technicians are among the workers increasingly in demand.
