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Spain, Italy and Ireland show the steepest growth in data-centre job postings across Europe, with each above twice its pre-pandemic baseline as of August 2026. Advertised pay for data-centre roles was higher than for comparable jobs in 28 of 29 country-occupation comparisons. Both findings come from Indeed posting data reported by Euronews on 2 October 2026, and both need careful reading. The posting figures are an index of advertisements, not a count of people hired. The pay figures compare advertised salaries within the same country and occupation, not a fixed premium that applies across Europe.
Where data-centre job postings are rising
Euronews, reporting Indeed data, found that data-centre job postings were above pre-pandemic levels in all ten European economies it analysed as of August 2026. The index sets 100 as the average for December 2019 to February 2020. A reading of 260 therefore means postings were 2.6 times that baseline, which is a rise of 160%. Readers will see both kinds of number in coverage of this topic, so keep the distinction clear: index points describe a level, and percentages describe the change.
| Country | Posting index (Dec 2019–Feb 2020 = 100) | Reported increase |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 260 | Not stated |
| Italy | 237 | Not stated |
| Ireland | 210 | Not stated |
| Netherlands | 138 | Not stated |
| Poland | 134 | Not stated |
| Switzerland | 133 | Not stated |
| Germany | Not stated | 25% |
| UK | Not stated | 24% |
| France | Not stated | 13% |
| Belgium | Not stated | 9% |
Source: Indeed data as reported by Euronews, 2 October 2026. The report gives index values for six countries and percentage increases for four; the remaining countries are not itemised in the coverage reviewed.
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Why Spain and Italy stand out
Spain and Italy began from a lower base than the established hubs. Indeed economist Aubrey Woessner and research director Pawel Adrjan linked their growth to new AI-oriented development, including campuses in Aragón and projects around Milan. The established clusters they contrasted with are near Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin. This is the explanation offered by the two economists, not an independently measured cause, so treat it as a plausible reading of the posting data rather than proof of why postings moved.
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Growth in data-centre postings is not growth in tech hiring overall
Across nine of the ten countries, general tech postings that exclude data-centre roles remained below the pre-pandemic benchmark. Spain was the exception, sitting just one index point above it. In other words, the data-centre category is rising while much of the wider tech market is still below its earlier level in most of these countries.
Ireland’s exposure is unusually high
Ireland stands out on relative exposure. Data-centre mentions made up nearly 5% of Indeed postings there, against a reported share of around 1% or less in most other countries in the analysis. A high share tells you how much of Ireland’s posting market is tied to data centres. It does not tell you how many jobs exist.
Hiring is spread across many employers
Euronews reports that more than 500 companies account for 70% of data-centre postings across the ten European countries. The US comparison in the same report is more concentrated: ten large technology companies account for 71% of postings there. These figures describe how postings are distributed among employers in each market. They are not totals of jobs.
Why data-centre roles can advertise higher pay
The clearest comparison in the report is advertised salary by country and occupation. Data-centre roles advertised higher pay than comparable roles in 28 of 29 country-occupation pairs. The one exception was IT infrastructure, operations and support in France, where the reported difference was -1%. The premium is therefore common but not uniform, and its size depends on the country and the type of work.
| Country | Occupation | Advertised pay vs comparable-sector roles |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | Management | 65% higher |
| Italy | Installation and maintenance | 50% higher |
| UK | Management | 49% higher |
| Germany | Installation and maintenance | 36% higher |
| France | IT infrastructure, operations and support | 1% lower (the one pair with a negative difference) |
Source: Indeed data as reported by Euronews, 2 October 2026. These are advertised salaries, and each figure applies only to the country and occupation named.
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The reasons given for the pay gap
The report’s explanation is that data-centre employers compete for technicians and infrastructure specialists who are also needed by industries going through digital and green transitions. Woessner and Adrjan add two further points. First, data-centre postings ask for more skills on average than postings in the same occupation. Second, they over-represent concrete technical and digital skills, including knowledge of IT systems, software and cybersecurity, as well as English-language requirements.
They also argue that higher pay helps employers fill roles fast enough to keep projects on schedule. Quoted directly: “Postings related to data centre roles ask for more skills, on average, than other postings in the same field.” The authors do not decompose the premium into separate causes, so the explanations above should be read as a set of reasons that together fit the pattern, not as a measured breakdown of how much each contributes.
The infrastructure backdrop
CBRE’s European Real Estate Market Outlook 2026 describes rising demand from AI adoption and wider digitisation, with electrical-grid bottlenecks limiting how fast new capacity can come online. CBRE forecasts a European data-centre vacancy rate of 6.5% by the end of 2026 and more than 750 MW of capacity additions during 2026. These are forecasts in the outlook, not confirmed outcomes. They help explain why construction, commissioning, power and operations roles are likely to stay in demand, but they do not measure employment directly.
Which jobs make up the postings
Five occupation groups account for 50% to 60% of European data-centre postings, according to Euronews’ reading of the Indeed data:
- IT infrastructure, operations and support, which keeps existing facilities running.
- Software development, linked to cloud and platform operations.
- Management, which carries some of the highest advertised premiums in the country comparisons above.
- Installation and maintenance, tied to fitting out and servicing equipment.
- Project management, tied to delivery of new capacity.
The mix reflects two needs at once. Existing storage and cloud facilities must stay staffed, while new capacity for AI-related demand is being built. Roles in the first group are operational; roles in the second are often tied to construction and commissioning timelines.
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Talent supply and retention
DataX Connect’s 2026 salary survey drew on more than 1,700 data-centre professionals across the UK, Europe and the US. Among permanent European respondents, 38.8% planned to change companies within the next 12 months, and 36.0% of European respondents named career development as the main reason for considering a move. Andy Davis, Director of DataX Connect and Data eXec, put the conclusion this way: “Pay is important, but so is career progression, the benefits people value and, increasingly, where the skills we need actually exist.”
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe survey also found that 41.7% of European respondents had previously worked in energy or in semiconductor and pharmaceutical roles. That points to adjacent sectors as a possible pool of transferable skills. The survey is a recruitment-sector sample rather than a census of European data-centre workers, so its percentages describe the respondents and should not be applied to the whole workforce.
How to read these figures correctly
Several common misreadings come from the same few features of the data. Check each claim against the following points before drawing a conclusion.
- Postings are not hires. A posting index shows advertised demand relative to a reference period. It does not show how many people started work, and it does not show how vacancies are spread across regions.
- Compare like with like. For location comparisons, use the same baseline and date. For pay comparisons, use the same occupation in the same country.
- Advertised is not received. The salary figures describe what employers advertised. They are not a promise to an individual candidate and do not account for seniority, working pattern or local cost of living.
- No single European uplift. The 28-of-29 result describes a pattern across the pairs measured, with sizes that range from negative to 65% higher. It is not a standard premium that applies everywhere.
- Forecasts are not outcomes. CBRE’s vacancy and capacity figures are outlook forecasts for 2026.
If you are comparing career options, the sources reviewed do not offer a single salary table that combines job family, seniority, working pattern, cost of living and progression. A reasonable approach is to shortlist one occupation, then compare advertised pay within a single country and check the skills and progression paths listed in the postings.
What this means for job seekers
Demand is concentrated in a few countries and a handful of occupation groups, and pay premiums are strongest where the work is technical, scarce and time-critical. Candidates with energy, semiconductor, pharmaceutical or infrastructure backgrounds may find their skills map onto these roles. Employers, meanwhile, are competing on pay, skills and career progression together, so a higher advertised salary is only one part of what a role offers.
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