Why some tradies are earning up to $450,000 a year in Australia’s blue-collar gold rush amid race to build AI data centres
Many Australian electricians are earning more than doctors, lawyers and accountants as the artificial intelligence boom fuels a blue-collar gold rush.
Tradesmen working on major infrastructure projects are reportedly taking home up to $450,000 a year.
The pay has been driven by a trillion-dollar construction boom linked to artificial intelligence, with the race to build data centres creating one of the hottest labour markets Australia has seen since the mining boom.
Data centres in Sydney and Melbourne are offering overtime-fuelled salaries of more than $200,000 to electricians with as little as two years’ experience.
Around one in 10 members of the Electrical Trades Union now work on the projects, up from almost none just a few years ago.
Tim Cullen, chief executive of commercial vehicle rental company Tradiespec, said the salaries reflected the demanding nature of the work.
‘Some of them (his employees) are taking home $250,000, $300,000 a year, in some cases all the way up to $450,000 a year,’ he said in a social media video.
‘I think it’s evidence that the blue-collar gold rush is happening in real time. The country’s going through a construction supercycle and we’ve got a structural labour shortage.’
Tradiespec chief executive Tim Cullen (pictured) said industry insiders believe sparkies are earning big money working on data centres and tunnelling projects
Electricians building the Metro tunnel underground (pictured) are reportedly earning up to $450,000 a year
Mr Cullen claimed the average electrician brings home more than a banker and significantly more than the average full-time Australian worker, who earns about $103,000 a year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.
He said employees on tunnelling projects and data centre developments often work long hours in difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions.
‘It’s not easy work. It’s underground, dirty, dangerous at times. It’s not a cosy CBD corner office that’s for sure,’ he added.
‘But for young guys who are looking to find an opportunity, and money’s a driving factor for them, it’s a good way to earn coin.’
Meanwhile, employers across the country are struggling to find qualified workers, with Job and Skills Australia’s latest Occupation Shortage List revealing electricians and plumbers are in short supply in every state and territory.
The crunch is expected to worsen as Australia races to build AI-powered data centres and deliver 1.2 million new homes.
However, industry groups have also warned the nation needs tens of thousands more electricians within five years to meet the targets.
Powering Skills Organisation upgraded its forecast in August for additional licensed electricians needed by 2030 from 42,500 to 72,500.
Mr Cullen said the extraordinary wages were proof that a university degree was no longer the only pathway to a lucrative career
Join the discussion
Should skyrocketing tradie pay be celebrated or is it making life harder for everyone else?
The organisation cited demand from data centre construction, with the projects expected to require an extra 13,280 energy trades workers by 2030, while operators are seeking skilled labour rather than apprentices who can be trained on the job.
It raised concerns about a shrinking apprenticeship pipeline, noting employer advertisements for apprenticeships have fallen every year since 2022 and hit their lowest level since 2019 in early 2026.
Electrical Trades Union national secretary Michael Wright has also said the demand for sparkies is exploding while the number of trainees is shrinking.
‘There is no shortage of people trying to get into the trade – we are seeing 600 applicants for every position,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘We need more electrical workers to build our way out of the housing crisis and wire Australia into the 21st Century.
‘This means we need more apprentices being hired and more capacity in our training system.’
Mr Wright said data centres should be required to take on a quota of apprentices during construction projects and contribute a levy to expand training capacity.
‘If data centres train electricians they can be part of the solution to housing and infrastructure,’ he said.
‘If they just syphon existing skilled workers away from these priorities they are making the problems worse.
‘Ultimately data centres will get their workforce, the Olympics will get their workforce – they are the biggest players.
‘We think they should contribute to the solutions to housing and energy by training electrical workers, rather than just looking after themselves and making our other problems worse.’
