Expect a short fall of 300,000 Data Center Construction Workers!
Here's a fun fact for your next barbecue: Australia's data centre capacity is expected to more than double by 2030 (Venture Insights). Okay, maybe not that fun. But if you're the one who has to staff those buildings, it's a big deal.
You can buy the land. You can (eventually) get the power connected. People are the tricky bit. Infrastructure Australia expects a shortfall of 300,000 construction workers by mid-2027. And renewables, housing, defence and mining are all chasing the same electricians and engineers you are (CertifiedStrategic).
So how do you get ahead? Here are five things that work.
1. Plan your recruitment activities early.
Most projects lock in power, land and equipment years ahead. Hiring? That often gets left until a few months out, when everyone suddenly starts panicking. Work out who you'll need at each stage (build, commissioning, then day-to-day operations) and start talking to people early. Good candidates don't sit around waiting for your project to be ready. Not sure how to do this? Message us we can point you in the right direction.
2. Stop waiting for the "perfect" data centre CV
Here's the thing: there just aren't many people with years of data centre experience. If that's your only filter, you'll be waiting a while and loosing revenue. Look at people from mining, utilities, renewables, hospitals and commercial construction instead.
A mining electrician already knows critical systems, safety and 24/7 shifts. A hospital facilities tech already knows what happens when the power can't go off. You can teach them the data centre bits.
3. Don't let security clearances catch you out
If your work touches government or critical infrastructure, you may need people with NV1 or NV2 clearance to work in your data center. These take about three and five months to come through. That's a long time to stare at an empty desk. Build the wait into your plans and think about sponsoring a clearance for a great candidate instead of holding out for someone who already has one.
4. Grow your own
Industry groups like HIA and NECA are calling for more electrical apprenticeships. You don't have to wait for the government to sort it out. Apprenticeships, graduate programs and upskilling your current team (liquid cooling, anyone?) all help. And people tend to stick around when you've invested in them.
5. Be quick, and give them a reason to say yes
In this market, good candidates often have two or three offers on the table. If your process takes six weeks and four rounds of interviews, someone else will snap them up by round two. Keep it short, give feedback fast and make the call.
Final Word.
Remove your companies employment blockers and know your candidate market. What we do know is people and if you don’t know your candidate market for Data Center’s you will struggle to source and fill Data Center roles. Here is a list of roles we fill every week for customers in the Data Center space.
- HVAC Chiller Technician
- Mechanical Power Engineers – Data Center
- Data Center electrical
- Project Manager – Mechanical
- ICT Data Center engineers
- Security-cleared Data Center Candidates
If this was helpful please let us know. If you have a difficult recruitment task and want some help we're just an email away.