Data centre staff eye moves despite pay rises survey shows

DataX Connect has published a survey showing that nearly four in ten data centre professionals in Europe and the US plan to change employers within a year. The study drew on responses from more than 1,700 professionals across the UK, Europe and the US.

The figures point to a mobile labour market, even though many respondents said they had received pay rises over the past year. Among permanent workers, 38.8% in Europe and 37.8% in the US said they expected to move companies within the next 12 months.

Reasons for switching jobs differed by region. In Europe, career development was the most cited reason for considering a move, selected by 36.0% of respondents. In the US, salary ranked first at 31.4%, with career development close behind at 29.5%.

Salary increases also appear not to have eased retention concerns. Some 65% of European respondents and 71% of US respondents said they had received a pay rise over the previous year, yet a substantial share still planned to leave.

Gender gap

A marked difference emerged between the experiences reported by men and women. In Europe, 46.4% of women surveyed said their gender had affected their compensation or career progression, compared with 1.7% of men.

In the US, the equivalent figure was 51.4% for women and 2.2% for men. Among women who said gender had affected their pay or progression, 97% described the impact as negative.

The research suggests employers in the sector face pressure on more than pay alone. Benefits and progression routes featured strongly in respondents' views, with preferences varying across markets.

In Europe, shares, stocks or equity were the most requested additional benefit, chosen by 30.3% of respondents. In the US, car or fuel allowance topped the list at 38.1%.

Hiring routes

The survey also highlighted the role of adjacent sectors in supplying staff to the data centre industry. In Europe, 41.7% of respondents said they had previously worked in energy, semiconductors or pharmaceuticals before moving into data centres.

In the US, 36.9% said they had entered the sector from energy or military backgrounds. The findings indicate that recruitment into data centres is not confined to candidates with direct industry experience.

That matters at a time when operators, contractors and suppliers across digital infrastructure continue to compete for technical and operational staff. The results suggest employers looking to widen the talent pool may need to consider transferable skills from other sectors alongside traditional data centre career paths.

Andy Davis, Director at DataX Connect and Data eXec, said the findings show employers need to respond to a more complex set of staff expectations.

"The biggest takeaway from this year's Salary Survey is that there isn't one simple answer to the talent challenge. Pay is important, but so is career progression, the benefits people value and, increasingly, where the skills we need actually exist," Davis said.

He also pointed to the survey's findings on women's experiences in the sector.

"The challenge now is turning that insight into better decisions around where we recruit, how we attract people and how we retain them. Nearly half of women in our survey say their gender has affected their pay or career progression, and one of the clearest drivers is the lack of visible female role models in senior data centre roles. If people can't see a path for themselves, they're far less likely to stick around and carve one out. Closing that gap, and the gender pay gap alongside it, is vital to the future of this industry," Davis said.