"That is where the idea of the "new blue collar" comes in. The term describes jobs that combine hands-on work with digital and AI tools. These include technicians who keep data centers online, workers who operate advanced manufacturing equipment, and crews who manage energy and infrastructure systems that AI depends on. These roles sit where software meets the real world. They are hard to automate, expensive to replace, and critical when something goes wrong."
"At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made a simple but provocative point. He said artificial intelligence is more likely to increase the value of blue-collar work. The idea itself is not new. What makes it interesting is how directly it challenges a long-standing belief about how people advance in their careers. Historically, the usual path to senior leadership meant starting close to the work, often in hands-on roles. Advancement usually meant moving into offices, meetings, spreadsheets, and management layers."
"It is still unclear how long this shift will last. Robots and automation may eventually take on more physical tasks, and hiring surges around infrastructure projects may slow. But even if the change is temporary, it can still affect who gets ahead. When companies care more about who can keep complex systems running, they tend to promote and trust different people."
Artificial intelligence is likely to increase the value of blue-collar work, elevating roles that combine physical tasks with digital and AI tools. Historically, career advancement moved workers away from hands-on roles into offices and management, privileging desk-based knowledge work. Early AI attention focused on office and knowledge jobs, leaving factory and infrastructure operators underexamined despite their operational importance. The "new blue collar" includes technicians who keep data centers online, advanced manufacturing operators, and energy and infrastructure crews where software meets the real world. Those roles resist automation, are costly to replace, and become critical during failures, influencing promotion and trust. The shift may be temporary, but practical system knowledge could matter more for leadership.
Read at Fortune
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