Texas Industrial & Data Center Hiring Outlook – Q4 2025

by | Sep 18, 2025 | Quarterly Reports | 0 comments

Executive Summary

As 2025 enters its final quarter, Texas continues to set the pace for industrial hiring nationwide. Manufacturing and energy remain steady drivers, but the largest force shaping demand is data center construction. With more than a dozen confirmed or proposed campuses stretching from Shackelford County to Bastrop, Hutto, Midland, San Antonio, and Abilene, labor demand for skilled trades and project leadership is accelerating into 2026.

The challenge is no longer whether Texas will get these projects, it is how contractors and workforce providers will manage the ripple effects on the rest of the labor market.

Market Update: What Changed Since Q3

  • Job Postings: Industrial postings remain about 8–10% higher year-over-year. Demand has not slowed, despite some seasonal leveling.

  • New Announcements:

    • Skybox Datacenters broke ground on PowerCampus Austin Building 2 in Hutto.

    • Vantage confirmed site prep for its $25B “Frontier Campus” in Shackelford County.

    • EdgeConneX AUS02 project in Bastrop moved into early construction phases.

    • San Antonio West Side saw permitting approvals for another 96 MW facility.

  • Abilene “Stargate Project”: Lancium’s clean campus development continues progressing, with Oracle and AI partners tied to early operations.

Labor Market Implications

Skilled Trades in Highest Demand

  • Electricians (MV/LV, switchgear, UPS, generators)

  • Mechanical & HVAC Techs (specializing in liquid cooling and high-density systems)

  • Fiber & Low-Voltage Technicians (structured cabling, redundancy builds)

  • Commissioning Agents (electrical, mechanical, controls)

Project & Management Roles

Construction superintendents, QA/QC specialists, schedulers, and project managers with mission-critical experience are among the most competitive hires.

Estimated Long-Term Hiring

Vantage “Frontier” alone expects about 5,000 combined construction and operational roles over its multi-phase buildout. Skybox, EdgeConneX, and Midland County developments together could add thousands more temporary and permanent jobs through 2026.

Wage & Compensation Trends

  • Trades Inflation: Industrial electricians are now averaging $35–$48/hr on data center sites, well above statewide averages.

  • Commissioning Engineers: Q4 contracts are landing in the $95K–$150K range, depending on experience.

  • Project Managers: Large-scale, mission-critical PMs can command $120K–$190K+.

  • Incentives: Overtime premiums, relocation stipends, and retention bonuses are increasingly common, especially outside major metros.

Regional Hotspots — Q4 2025

  • West Texas: Shackelford (Vantage Frontier) and Midland (320-acre hub).

  • Central Texas: Hutto (Skybox), Bastrop (EdgeConneX).

  • San Antonio: Vantage West Side, multiple expansions.

  • Abilene: Lancium Stargate / Clean Campus.

  • DFW Metroplex: Ongoing expansions in Richardson, Garland, and North Dallas corridors.

Barr-Techs Take

The surge in data center projects is creating shortages in other critical industries across Texas. Skilled electricians, welders, and HVAC techs who would normally be available for manufacturing, utility, municipal, and commercial projects are being drawn to high-paying data center construction jobs.

This has already led to:

  • Delays in local infrastructure projects, where cities and utilities struggle to staff electrical and civil scopes.

  • Higher turnover in manufacturing plants, as technicians are recruited away by contractors tied to hyperscale builds.

  • Cost escalation for smaller contractors, who cannot match data center wages and must either delay work or decline new projects.

In short, while data centers are creating thousands of opportunities, they are also draining labor pools from traditional industrial and construction employers. Barr-Techs is focused on helping those employers bridge the gap by sourcing alternative talent, creating regional pipelines, and identifying workers overlooked in the first wave of recruiting.

Outlook for 2026

Expect continued growth into the first half of 2026 as the first phases of Shackelford, Hutto, Bastrop, and Midland campuses peak in construction activity. Shortages will extend beyond the data center sites themselves, affecting power utilities, municipalities, and mid-sized contractors. Retention and workforce development will be as important as recruitment.