Data Centers Are Hiring Your HVAC Techs. Here Is a Plan.

It is the middle of August, the phones are still ringing and a lot of HVAC shops are running a truck or two short. This summer the usual technician shortage has company. A new employer has moved into the labor market, and it pays well: the data center.

What changed this summer

In June, Realtor.com reported that data center projects are pulling electricians and HVAC technicians away from residential work. Abilene, Texas homebuilder Gene Lantrip described the math: "It's hard to compete when contractors are paid $15 to $20 an hour, while the data centers offer $40 plus a per diem."

Danny Niemela of ArDan Construction in Arizona told the outlet that licensed-trade labor costs in his market rose roughly 12% to 18% over the past 24 months. A homeowner who used to wait two days for an AC technician might now wait five or six.

In July, Bloomberg reported that the largest contractors building data centers are limited by labor, not demand. "There is plenty more work we could take if we could possibly do it," said William George, chief financial officer of Comfort Systems USA. The chief executive of Sterling Infrastructure described his company as "stealing" crews from smaller shops.

The pay data in that story shows where the pressure is. Indeed found overall US pay grew 2.4% from May 2025 to May 2026. Construction wages grew 3.4%, electrician pay 4.6% and commercial electrician pay 9.9%.

Then came the July jobs report. The economy lost 23,000 jobs overall, and construction still added 22,000. The trades are hiring through a soft market.

Why smaller shops feel it most

Large contractors have steady project pipelines and their own training programs, and the Bloomberg story noted that gives them an edge in a tight market. A residential or light commercial shop cannot match $40 an hour plus per diem across the board.

It does not have to. It has to win the technicians for whom that offer is the wrong fit.

What you can offer that a data center cannot

• Home every night. Per diem work usually means travel and long stretches away from family.

• Work that does not end. A campus build wraps up. A service route and a maintenance agreement base keep going.

• A path up. Lead tech, field supervisor, service manager and a place in the business as it grows.

• Customers who know your name. Many technicians like service work because they solve a problem and see the result the same day.

None of this replaces fair pay. It is the reason a good technician stays once the pay is fair.

A plan for the rest of 2026

1. Protect your best people first. Sit down with your top technicians now. Ask what would make them leave and check their pay against what the market is paying today, not last year.

2. Recruit in the fall. September through November gives you room to interview, run ride-alongs and onboard properly, well ahead of next summer.

3. Go to technicians who are working. The best ones rarely look at job boards. They respond to a direct, respectful conversation about a better situation.

4. Screen for what matters. EPA 608, NATE, licensing, a clean driving record and the specific equipment and controls your customers run.

5. Build a bench. Training money is arriving. The Hardwire News reported a $90 million skilled trades initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies in June and a $250 million commitment from the Lowe's Foundation in April. It also noted that someone starting an apprenticeship this fall will not be running a service truck until 2028. Start apprentices now and recruit experienced people for the gap in between.

Where UBC fits

UBC recruits service, install, controls and refrigeration technicians, plus service managers and field leaders, for HVAC companies nationwide. We find people who are working, talk to them personally and screen for EPA 608, NATE, licensing and your must-haves.

For an urgent gap, a Hiring Sprint is a focused push on up to three roles. For steady growth, Recruiting-as-a-Service gives you recruiting capacity that scales up and down with the season.

If you want full trucks before the next rush, tell us what you need or call or text 404-480-0297.