Executive Summary
- The industry has had a recruitment crisis for a while, but I ask, is the UK talent shortage self-inflicted? Companies hiring for entry-level roles want 5+ years of experience. Make it make sense, because I can’t!
- According to the Uptime Institute, more than half (53%) of operators are finding it difficult to find qualified candidates for roles.
- The industry needs to recognise transferable skills and experience in adjacent sectors and seek to attract those people into the industry instead of looking for people with years of experience in specialised niches.
The industry has reached a talent drought, which has been years in the making, despite warnings from recruiters and thought leaders. Yet, job ads are still requesting over five years of experience in a hyper-niche facility for entry-level (and even mid-level) roles. Is that realistic? And are we facing a talent shortage, or is this purely self-inflicted?
For years now, the industry has consistently faced labour shortages and struggled to attract new talent into the mix, demanding specialised experience or years of mechanical and engineering experience in server halls, and this ends up filtering out brilliant candidates who have the skillset from working in adjacent sectors such as commercial refrigeration, UK marine/aviation engineering, rail infrastructure, automotive, etc.
It really isn’t that surprising; the industry has boomed and expanded so quickly, recruitment has struggled to keep up and the talent shortage challenges are now ramping up, according to the Uptime Institute. More than half (53%) of operators are finding it difficult to find qualified candidates for roles, which has increased dramatically from the 46% in 2025.
Following on this, the UK Government’s “Quantifying the UK Data Skills Gap” report revealed 46% of businesses are struggling to fill data/technical roles, which proves the filters are too strict and they compound national skill deficits. The report also found that the top skills companies need to improve are:
- information management
- knowledge of emerging tech and solutions
- data communication skills
- communication
- database management
- data literacy
- data ethics
- analysis skills
- analytical mindset
- adaptability
Furthermore, the top 10 skills businesses say their sector has insufficient skills with include the following:
- machine learning
- programming
- storytelling
- data visualisation
- advanced stats
- knowledge of emerging tech and solutions
- critical thinking
- analtyicala mindset
- creativity
What should the industry do then?
The industry needs to wake up a little bit to realise they need to change their recruitment methods. It needs to recognise transferable skills and experience in adjacent sectors and seek to attract those people into the industry instead of looking for people with years of experience in specialised niches. Data centre-specific skills can be taught if the person in question has the right training, experience and skillset, and it’s about time the industry invested in people like this.
This isn’t something new; it’s actually a proven model with the UK’s Armed Forces Covenant pipeline, where ex-Forces engineers transfer to civilian infrastructure roles and thrive in the data centre industry. It’s about time that the industry started to change its recruitment strategy, and fast.
