Data centre hiring across Europe has exploded past pre-pandemic levels, more than doubling in Spain, Italy, and Ireland as artificial intelligence infrastructure reshapes the continent’s labour market.
Fresh data from Indeed, the global hiring platform, shows postings for data centre roles surged to 260 points in Spain, 237 in Italy, and 210 in Ireland by August 2026, using a baseline of 100 set against December 2019 to February 2020 averages. Meanwhile, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland each recorded gains above 30%.
The momentum reflects a strategic pivot away from legacy hubs. Indeed economist Aubrey Woessner and research director Pawel Adrjan pointed to major new AI-focused construction projects, such as campuses in Aragón and developments around Milan, rather than established clusters near Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin.
Belgium posted the smallest increase at just 9%, with France close behind at 13%. Germany and the UK recorded 25% and 24% respectively.
The contrast with broader tech hiring proves stark. In nine of ten European economies analysed, non-data-centre tech postings remained below pre-pandemic levels as of August 2026. Spain stood alone, just one point above its baseline. Italy showed the widest gap between data centre and other tech postings at 173 points.
Hiring also spread far more broadly across companies than in the United States, where ten large tech firms account for 71% of data centre postings. In Europe, researchers found it takes more than 500 companies to reach 70% of postings.
Pay premiums stand out too. Data centre employers offered higher advertised salaries in 28 of 29 country-occupation pairings. Italian management roles paid 65% more than equivalent positions elsewhere, while installation and maintenance roles carried a 50% premium. UK management roles offered 49% higher pay.
The premium reflects intensifying competition for scarce technical talent. Woessner and Adrjan noted that data centre postings demand more skills on average, including IT systems knowledge, cybersecurity expertise, and English proficiency, alongside urgency to keep construction timelines on schedule.
Despite the growth, data centre roles still represent roughly 1% or less of total postings in most countries analysed. Ireland remains the exception at nearly 5%. With the EU targeting a tripling of data centre capacity within five to seven years, economists expect expansion to continue.
