Where in Europe is data centre hiring growing fastest – and why do these jobs pay more?

Europe's data center job market is surging, with postings exceeding pre-pandemic levels in 10 European economies as of August 2026. Spain, Italy, and Ireland lead the charge, with job indices surpassing 200 points, double the pre-pandemic baseline. The rise in postings is primarily fueled by new AI-focused data center buildouts in Spain and Italy, as well as projects in the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland.

Belgium and France show a more modest increase, while Germany and the UK follow with 25% and 24% growth, respectively, and the UK posting the lowest increase at 9%.

Indeed, European data center hiring is far more distributed than in the US, where just 10 firms account for 71% of postings. In Europe, over 500 companies contribute to 70% of data center job openings. Furthermore, data center roles consistently offer higher pay than similar positions in other tech sectors, with some discrepancies, such as a slight -1% premium for IT infrastructure roles in France.

In Italy, for example, management roles in data centers pay 65% more than other sectors, while installation and maintenance roles offer a 50% higher salary.

The higher pay is attributed to the specialized skill set required for data center jobs, including technical expertise, software knowledge, cybersecurity expertise, and proficiency in English. Employers must compete for these skilled workers amidst Europe's push for a digital and green transformation, pushing data center capacity to triple within five to seven years. Despite the surge, data center jobs still make up only around 1% of total job postings across Europe, with Ireland being the exception at nearly 5%.