Data center construction is booming, with the U.S. expected to attract 40% of a $7 trillion global investment by 2030. But the industry faces a pressing problem: a lack of skilled workers. Building data centers requires specialized expertise in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, far beyond the scope of general construction. By 2026, the U.S. will need 546,000 additional construction workers to meet demand, yet only 15% of applicants currently meet qualifications for data center roles.
Key challenges include:
To bridge the gap, solutions include:
The stakes are high: Without addressing these gaps, project delays, higher costs, and operational risks could jeopardize the infrastructure supporting our digital future.
Data Center Construction Workforce Crisis: Key Statistics and Challenges 2025-2030
Constructing a data center isn't your average building project - it's a complex, high-tech endeavor. As Brent Arnholter from Actalent aptly describes it:
"Building a data center isn't just another construction project - it's a high-tech puzzle".
These projects are far more focused on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems than traditional commercial builds. They demand the integration of cutting-edge AI systems, advanced cooling technologies, and high-density power distribution.
But it doesn't stop there. Teams working on data centers need to excel in Building Information Modeling (BIM), quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) for critical environments, and real-time project controls. The rise of "design-build" leaders - those who can manage multidisciplinary teams and adapt to rapidly evolving technology - has become essential.
The stakes are high. By 2030, data centers are expected to consume up to 720 terawatt-hours of electricity, more than double today's levels. This massive growth highlights the increasing reliance on automated systems and remote facility management, making expertise in controls and monitoring more critical than ever. To meet these demands, specialized training programs are becoming a necessity.
Data centers require a unique blend of IT knowledge and traditional trade skills. With AI workloads demanding significantly more power and cooling capacity than typical applications, expertise in areas like liquid cooling and high-density power systems is in high demand.
Training programs range from short-term certifications to four-year specialized degrees. For instance, in late 2025, the College of DuPage in Illinois received a $425,000 workforce development grant to launch a facility maintenance degree and a data technician certificate. These programs combine HVACR and electromechanical technology to address the specific needs of data center environments. Across the Atlantic, CyrusOne has partnered with University Technical College (UTC) Heathrow in the UK to set up a training center within its LON6 data center. This initiative supports the development of a 90 MW campus, which is projected to generate around 540 new roles.
These training initiatives are vital, but they also highlight the growing challenge of finding and preparing skilled professionals to meet the demands of this specialized field.
Even with investments in training, finding qualified talent for data center roles remains a significant hurdle. More than 50% of data center operators report difficulties filling open positions, and by the end of 2025, the industry will need 325,000 new full-time workers globally. Shockingly, only 15% of applicants meet the minimum qualifications for these roles. Staffing shortages have already caused disruptions at over half of data center construction sites.
Adding to the challenge, construction is increasingly moving away from traditional hubs like Silicon Valley to more remote locations such as Arizona, Virginia, Georgia, and Texas. Many hyperscale data centers are in rural areas, which often requires significant upskilling of local talent to meet the industry's demands.
The workforce also faces a looming "silver tsunami", with about 33% of technical workers nearing retirement age. Retention is another pressing issue - only 18% of younger employees stay in their roles beyond the first year, citing burnout, inadequate pay, and limited growth opportunities as key factors.
To help address these challenges, platforms like iRecruit are stepping in. Specializing in talent acquisition for mission-critical construction, iRecruit focuses on hiring project managers, cost estimators, schedulers, and MEP system specialists for data center projects. By streamlining the recruitment process, they aim to close the talent gap and support the industry's growing demands.
General construction teams focus on adhering to standard building codes and structural systems, ensuring functionality and comfort for people. Their work typically involves electrical, mechanical, and HVAC trades, emphasizing human comfort and basic utility distribution. These teams rely on traditional blueprints and CAD tools to maintain structural integrity and meet code requirements.
The technical demands of general construction differ greatly from those of data center projects. For instance, while general construction uses standard HVAC systems for climate control, data centers require precision cooling and advanced thermal management to support high-density hardware. Similarly, power distribution in typical commercial buildings is straightforward, whereas data centers demand complex, high-density power systems designed for redundancy and continuous operation. David Timis from the World Economic Forum highlights this shift:
"The traditional image of a data center professional as an expert in server racks and network cables is outdated. While technical proficiency remains foundational, the modern data center demands a much more diverse skillset."
Interestingly, nearly 60% of the skills required for data center roles are non-technical, focusing on problem-solving, critical thinking, and adaptability. General construction teams, while skilled in their individual trades - electricians handling wiring, HVAC technicians managing climate systems, and IT professionals focusing on networking - do not typically operate with the same level of interdisciplinary collaboration required for data center projects. These differences highlight the need for distinct training approaches tailored to each field.
The training requirements for general construction and data center work are worlds apart. Traditional vocational programs often treat IT, HVAC, and electrical work as separate disciplines, making it challenging for workers to gain the integrated skillsets that data center projects demand. Unfortunately, formal education has struggled to keep pace with the fast-evolving needs of the industry. Adding to the challenge is a lack of investment in on-the-job training and mentorship programs, which has led to staffing shortages. These shortages have disrupted operations at more than half of data center construction sites, with contractors reporting project delays of up to a year.
The global demand for data center workers is pressing, with an estimated need for 325,000 new full-time employees by the end of 2025. Some organizations are stepping up to address this gap. For example, Google’s Skilled Trades and Readiness (STAR) Program offers short-term training tailored to the mechanical and electrical needs of data centers. These initiatives aim to break down the traditional silos in vocational education, contrasting sharply with the segmented training typical of general construction. The lack of integrated training has a direct impact on recruitment and staffing strategies for these specialized projects.
General construction hiring often relies on local trade schools and established labor markets, following a more predictable path of permanent hires for ongoing projects. In contrast, data center projects frequently require a mix of permanent staff and highly specialized "travel-ready consultants" who can be deployed on short notice. This demand for specialized roles has led to immediate talent shortages.
In 2024, data center construction accounted for 94% of all nonresidential growth in the United States. However, the industry has faced persistent hiring challenges. In 2020, half of all data center owners and operators reported difficulty finding qualified candidates for open positions. By 2022, 76% of data center professionals admitted they had not completed or renewed certifications due to overwhelming work demands. Compounding these issues is the "silver tsunami", a wave of retirements among senior construction staff in the U.S. and Western Europe, which threatens to drain the industry of valuable institutional knowledge.
To address these challenges, companies are rethinking their hiring strategies. Many firms have started removing unnecessary formal education requirements, focusing instead on equivalent experience and on-the-job training. They are also collaborating with universities to develop targeted curricula and reaching out to non-traditional talent pools, such as historically Black universities, to diversify their recruitment efforts and tap into new technical talent outside the traditional STEM pipelines. These evolving strategies aim to close the talent gap and keep up with the growing demands of the data center industry.
The hiring landscape for data center construction is quite different from that of general construction. Traditional construction benefits from established trade school pipelines and a wider pool of initial candidates. In contrast, data center projects often focus too heavily on STEM credentials, creating a bottleneck in hiring. In fact, 58% of data center companies report difficulties in finding qualified candidates, even with active recruitment efforts.
While general construction enjoys a more predictable recruitment model, it struggles with lower levels of technology adoption, which ultimately affects worker productivity. On the other hand, data center operators face their own hurdles: 50% report challenges in attracting top talent, and 42% struggle with retention issues.
Here’s a quick look at how the hiring approaches differ between the two sectors:
| Hiring Approach | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Data Center Teams | Invest heavily in specialized academic partnerships and proprietary tech training programs | High entry barriers due to STEM focus, limited public awareness of career opportunities, and retention difficulties |
| General Construction Teams | Larger applicant pool and established trade school pipelines | Limited perception of long-term career paths and slower adoption of new technologies |
To address these challenges, many data center operators are turning to specialized external recruitment firms to hire data center construction project managers in the short term. Bill Kleyman, Executive Vice President of Digital Solutions at Switch, highlights this shift:
"Every single organization right now in the industry is trying to open up its aperture on how to invite, entice and embolden a new iteration of people to support digital infrastructure".
Firms like iRecruit are tackling these issues by focusing on candidates with diverse skill sets that combine technical engineering and business operations expertise. By prioritizing equivalent experience and on-the-job training over formal education requirements, these firms help data center teams secure pre-qualified talent while still meeting the high standards required for these complex projects.
The contrast is clear: while general construction relies on traditional direct hiring, data center projects increasingly lean on specialized recruitment services to meet their unique staffing needs. With the global data center workforce expected to grow from 2.0 million in 2019 to nearly 2.3 million by 2025, adapting hiring strategies will be critical to closing the sector’s skill gaps. These differences underscore the importance of tailored approaches in addressing the distinct challenges faced by the data center industry.
To tackle the growing talent shortage in data center construction, companies need to act now. Waiting for traditional education systems to catch up isn't a viable option. Here are some practical strategies to address the issue head-on.
Short-term certifications are a fast and effective way to help construction professionals build the skills they need. Take the Certified Data Center Technician Professional (CDCTP®) program, for example. In just five days, participants can gain certification in key areas like power, cooling, IT connectivity, and space. For more specialized roles, the Uptime Institute offers accredited tracks tailored to specific needs: the Accredited Tier Designer (ATD) for design teams, Accredited Operations Specialist (AOS) for facility managers, and Accredited Tier Specialist (ATS) for project leaders. These programs help general construction professionals transition into mission-critical infrastructure roles.
Mentorship programs also play a crucial role in bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world application. A great example comes from the iMasons Capstone Project in 2022. Jai Huntley, a senior at Hampton University, was paired with industry veterans Bill Kleyman and Philip Marengella. This mentorship gave Huntley hands-on experience during her final year of college, leading to a job as a Data Center Design Engineer at EdgeConneX. Within just a year, she advanced from space planning to managing space, power, cooling, and design across the company’s facilities.
Specialized recruitment partnerships streamline the hiring process by targeting candidates who already have relevant skills. For instance, iRecruit focuses on pre-qualifying candidates with both technical and management expertise. This approach significantly reduces hiring timelines by cutting out lengthy recruitment phases.
Data center construction teams face unique challenges that set them apart from general construction, primarily due to the complexity of MEP systems, the growing reliance on automation, and the need for professionals with both technical and business expertise. With data centers projected to drive 94% of U.S. nonresidential construction growth in 2024 and consume up to 720 terawatt-hours of electricity by 2030, these skill gaps pose a significant threat to the sector's ability to keep pace with demand.
Failing to address these challenges can lead to serious consequences - delayed projects, higher costs, and risks to critical operations. The global staffing demand is expected to reach nearly 2.3 million full-time positions by 2025, yet half of operators report struggling to find qualified candidates. Adding to the pressure, the "Silver Tsunami" of retiring senior staff is draining institutional knowledge at a time when expertise is needed most.
However, there are actionable steps to bridge these gaps. Initiatives like the iMasons Capstone Project and partnerships with specialized recruitment services are paving the way. Companies that focus on lowering barriers to entry, improving retention, and collaborating with educational institutions will be better equipped to meet workforce demands.
For developers, contractors, and facility operators, modernizing training and hiring practices is not optional - it’s essential. Leveraging tools like iRecruit can streamline the recruitment process for key roles such as project managers, MEP specialists, and commissioning agents. By taking these steps, the industry can secure the talent needed to support the infrastructure that underpins our digital future.
The essential skills for data center construction teams revolve around technical expertise and operational precision. With data centers becoming increasingly intricate to accommodate AI, cloud services, and the ongoing digital shift, there's a growing need for professionals skilled in automation, cloud integration, and data center infrastructure management (DCIM).
A solid understanding of MEP systems (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), commissioning, and project management is equally important. These areas are critical for ensuring that large-scale projects are executed smoothly and efficiently. Furthermore, knowledge in energy management and load balancing plays a key role in boosting performance while keeping costs under control. Certifications and formal training in these disciplines are highly sought after, though the industry is grappling with a skills shortage due to an aging workforce and a lack of sufficient training programs.
To address this challenge, organizations like iRecruit are stepping in. They specialize in connecting data center construction teams with pre-qualified candidates, simplifying the hiring process for these vital roles.
To keep top talent on board, data center construction teams need to prioritize smart recruitment strategies and professional growth opportunities. One effective approach is broadening the hiring pool to include candidates from related industries or underrepresented groups, such as veterans, women, and neurodiverse individuals. This can help fill skill gaps while bringing fresh perspectives to the team. Consistent training and certification programs also play a vital role in ensuring employees feel valued and stay up to date with industry standards.
Creating a positive workplace culture is just as important. Tackling burnout, offering competitive pay, and providing clear paths for career advancement can make a huge difference in retention. Recognizing employees' hard work and offering opportunities for growth fosters loyalty and motivation - key ingredients for building a workforce ready to tackle the challenges of data center construction.
Professionals moving into data center construction can gain a lot from training programs specifically crafted to meet the demands of this niche field. These programs typically cover essential areas like critical systems, operational best practices, and the technical skills required for data center projects.
Take, for instance, courses offered by the Uptime Institute and DCD Academy. They dive into topics such as infrastructure management, emergency response protocols, and advanced construction methods. Some of these programs are beginner-friendly, while others target seasoned professionals aiming to deepen their knowledge. On top of that, workforce development initiatives from major tech companies are helping to equip local talent with the skills needed for roles in data center construction.
These training opportunities are key to meeting the industry's increasing need for skilled workers, making the transition into this specialized field much more seamless.
