Articles 7.14.26.pdf

Before the first server goes online, a data center does something tangible for its host community: It goes on the property tax rolls. That revenue flows directly to local school districts, which in New aw: are perpetually underfunded and dependent on Trenton to mie upStbtewH dita ce. cility ch®iggds that math in a meaningful way. Mate ve the di PFerence, But asingle Fort ciunges For local employment, critics point to low permanent headcounts at individual facilities. That framing ignores contractors, on-site tenant workers, suppliers and the broader economic activity a large permanent facility anchors. Nationally, labor income from the data center industry grew 144% between 2017 and 2023. In New Jersey, a recent PwC report counted 35,180 direct jobs in the sector in 2024, contributing $14.8 billion in labor income. Each direct job supports an estimated 4.5 positions elsewhere in the economy. Large, permanent infrastructure attracts businesses that depend on reliable digital capacity. Suppliers, contractors and service providers tend to put down roots near the anchor facility. That’s not theoretical. It’s how regional economies have always built around major infrastructure investments. The national and global economies are at an inflection point — a bold new era of innovation. Data centers are investments for this era. The states that understand this are already ahead. New Jersey should be one of them. NJBIA will soon release a report on the full realities of data centers. In the meantime, we encourage people to seek out the facts. The last thing we want to do in this rapidly advancing space of AI is put a firewall around New Jersey being a leader in this emerging economy. Michele Siekerka is president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. Bernie Corrigan is president of IBEW Local 102.