Executive Summary

• In this article, BSE 3D tells us that employer brand matters when building the data centre workforce of the future.
• IDC research highlights skills gaps across cybersecurity, networking, and data, AI and automation but data centre demand is set to double by 2030.
• Reputation leads to retention, says Grace Williams; as company culture has never been more crucial.

As the sector grows faster than ever, employer brand is playing an increasingly important part in
attracting and keeping the talent the industry needs.

The data centre industry is in the middle of the largest build-out in its history, driven by AI, cloud and
the digitisation of the global economy. Yet the sector is struggling to find and keep the people it
needs to deliver that growth. The Uptime Institute’s Global Data Center Survey 2025 shows that
recruitment and retention remain among the industry’s most persistent challenge and attention is
increasingly turning to the part employer brand plays in attracting the next generation of talent.

The numbers show why. Uptime Institute forecast that global staffing requirements would grow from
around two million roles in 2019 to 2.3 million by 2025, with an estimated 140,000 additional skilled
workers needed in North America alone by 2030. In the UK, 2025 IDC research points to skills gaps in
the very disciplines data centres depend on: cybersecurity (44%), networking (40%) and data, AI and
automation (33%). Higher salaries and recruiting from competitors can only go so far; the bigger
opportunity lies in bringing new people into the industry and widening the talent pool.

This is where reputation counts. LinkedIn research shows that 75% of candidates consider an
employer’s brand before they even apply and Glassdoor finds 84% of job seekers weigh reputation
when deciding where to apply. Organisations with a strong employer brand attract up to 50% more
qualified applicants, reduce cost per hire by as much as 43%, and cut turnover by 28%.

Grace Williams, Marketing Director at BSE3D, said: “Compared to five years ago, this industry is a lot
more visible, and that’s a great thing. But visibility on its own doesn’t win talent. Culture is becoming
more and more important and recruitment is now very much a two-way process. Candidates are
assessing us just as closely as we are assessing them and they can see straight through a careers page
that doesn’t match the reality. The organisations that thrive over the next decade will be the ones
people genuinely want to work for.”

A strong employer brand has to be built on substance: visible career pathways, structured training for
people joining from adjacent industries, genuine flexible working for parents and carers, and
employees who tell the industry’s story authentically. With demand for data centre capacity forecast
to more than double by 2030, the organisations that give employer brand the attention it deserves
will be best placed as competition for talent intensifies.