Data center expansion is massively outpacing available talent, as the industry strains under the weight of its own growth, according to the results of DCD Intelligence’s new workforce survey.

Staffing is stretched thin across all sectors, with more than two-thirds of developers and operators reporting staffing levels below what their operations require. Nearly a third are operating at under 80 percent of demand.

These issues are reflected across all critical areas, where gaps risk reduced performance and increased downtime, the report said, with the shortages most acute in facilities and physical infrastructure, power and cooling systems, and IT operations.

These shortages are largely down to recruitment issues and lack of available talent, with nearly half of respondents to the survey stating that a lack of technical knowledge in prospective hires was the biggest barrier to entry. Respondents also cited low industry awareness as an issue.

The survey also examined how organizations are hiring and where they are sourcing new talent from. Organizations are increasingly looking toward adjacent technical infrastructure and utilities sectors to fill roles, with cross-hires from the telecoms industry falling into third place.

Fluid dynamics and power expertise were the biggest drivers of workforce expansion, with respondents looking to power and water utilities and the oil and gas industry to fill these roles.

Organizations are also looking to expand education-based pathways, including internships, apprenticeship programs, and university programs.

“Looking across these different issues, the one clear thread is that the industry is lacking structure in its recruitment and training processes. Staffing gaps, poor onboarding, inconsistent training, and slow upskilling are all caused by the absence of consistent and deliberate systems for building and sustaining talent,” the report said.

“The organizations best positioned to win out of the industry’s explosive growth are those that treat their workforce development as core infrastructure to their businesses. Investing in deliberately structured training and standardized onboarding are a must, as is upskilling staff on AI and other new technologies coming into use in the industry. Without a shift in this regard, skill gaps and recruitment shortages will continue, and could widen in the coming years as the pace of technological change continues to accelerate.”