The U.S. construction and infrastructure sectors face a severe labor bottleneck. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, the industry needs roughly 350,000 new craft workers in 2026 just to meet demand, while broader estimates project up to 2.1 million trade jobs could remain unfilled by 2030. In response to this growing gap, corporate America is making significant investments to rebuild the nation’s workforce pipeline.
In September 2026, the Lowe’s Foundation announced the formation of The Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition, a cross-sector effort uniting more than 75 organizations. The alliance includes major companies across tech, manufacturing, energy and finance—such as Nvidia, General Motors, AT&T, Bank of America, DEWALT, Carrier and Duke Energy. It also includes key trade groups like the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and SkillsUSA. Together, the coalition aims to train and develop 1 million new skilled trade professionals by 2035.
To reach that goal, the coalition focuses on three key priorities:
- Changing public perception: Reframing trade careers to challenge the long-held assumption that a four-year college degree is the only route to long-term success.
- Scaling effective training models: Investing in existing trade programs, establishing shared playbooks and expanding recognized credentialing pathways.
- Tracking outcomes: Standardizing metrics across partner organizations to follow candidates from initial training through long-term employment.
This initiative comes as physical infrastructure increasingly intersects with technological growth. Expanding AI data centers, power grids and telecom networks require steady teams of electricians, technicians and builders.
The Lowe’s Foundation initiative reflects a broader shift across major corporations taking direct action to build their own labor pools. Earlier in 2026, Meta launched its $115 million American Workforce Academy to train trade workers for data center construction, while Google pledged $50 million to support labor unions and trade associations across 20 states.