How Houston finds workers in an AI boom

A metal cylinder a few car lengths long fitted with a maze of gears hung open in front of Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan at the GE Vernova Houston Learning Center.

The complex machine is the heart of a turbine designed to feed a mixture of air and natural gas into a generator that can provide electricity for an entire city—or a data center. Engineers and their trainees huddled at a table nearby. Soon, they’ll practice inspecting and repairing the machine.

In her third visit to Houston as part of her Listening in 360 tour, President Logan arrived at a time when policymakers are also puzzling over complex issues: How will the economy and energy markets respond to the dual issues of geopolitical tensions abroad sapping the world of its oil supply and an AI boom at home pulling ever higher demand for power?

She heard from business and community leaders throughout her trip and gained a clearer view of these developments beyond the data thanks to a critical advantage of the regional structure of the Federal Reserve System. She will bring this in-person, local perspective to monetary policy discussions at Federal Open Market Committee meetings this month and beyond.

Business leaders reach for AI to scout for talent

President Logan met with a group of local executives and nonprofit leaders who are trying to find workers in the age of artificial intelligence.

As typical discussions about workforce development go, companies need labor, but workers are finding that pathways to necessary training have narrowed.

But one participant told President Logan about plans to roll out a new solution. A planned trial program will use AI to match prospective employees with companies that need specific skillsets. AI chatbots will mimic counselors to guide users on both sides of the search. It was pitched as an example of how AI can help alleviate some of the consequences of its own disruption of the workforce.

“You can ask the AI counselor, ‘I’m good at this, what can I do?,’” the participant told Logan. “And it will tell you that you can absolutely do this, this and this, careers you maybe didn’t know existed.”

A growing economy needs power plant engineers

President Logan visited the GE Vernova Houston Learning Center, where new recruits learn how to install and maintain massive, complex turbines used in natural gas power plants that provide electricity for our homes and industry.

A single machine, the company’s biggest, can supply enough electricity for 600,000 homes.

The facility has no air conditioning, even in a Houston summer.

The company simulates the kinds of environments trainees will experience when deployed in the field for 10-hour days that can stretch longer if demand for electricity and repairs is high.

Those who make it past the training floor can find opportunities for them in a job market desperate for their skills as demand for the turbines remains elevated.

“A high schooler who enters our program,” one executive told Logan, “can go from working as a barista to a field engineer in seven to eight years, if they’re dedicated.”

How the Houston workforce fits into the global economy

During a moderated conversation with Houston City College Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher hosted by the Houston branch, President Logan discussed the city’s role in the global economy and how industries are evolving to accommodate AI and the next generation of workers. Ahead of the discussion President Logan delivered remarks about her views on monetary policy.

The conversation touched on the energy industry and the impacts of AI on the economy.

• Houston payrolls grew a 2.1 percent annualized over the three months ending in May 2026, even though the year-over-year growth remained modest.
• Although oil production advanced modestly in the second quarter, the latest Dallas Fed survey indicates energy executives expect a range of constraints, including limited natural gas takeaway capacity, may impede how much drilling activity can increase in the Permian Basin over the next 12 months.

President Logan responded to audience questions on wage pressures and the impacts of economic conditions on regional investment and manufacturing. The potential for growth in domestic energy production and how it could spur Houston's productivity was top of mind. Insights from her visit to Houston will help inform President Logan’s views on monetary policy as she represents the district at Federal Open Market Committee meetings.