Workforce Planning Essentials for Asia-Pacific’s Data Centre Boom

Key Takeaways: 

• The APAC Data Centre boom is real but talent pipelines are falling short. Despite substantial capacity growth, there is forecast to be a shortage by 2027/28, meaning that the region is building quickly but still falling behind demand.
• There are opportunities to employ workers with transferable skills from adjacent industries. Professionals from other industries can fill many Data Centre roles where there are shortages, if their competencies are properly assessed. 
• AI is automating routine roles while also creating new ones that are even harder to fill. Organisations that invest in retraining existing staff to work alongside AI-driven systems will become more resilient as the technology matures.
• Increasing your workforce diversity widens the talent pool. Women currently represent a small proportion of the Data Centre workforce, which is a capacity constraint as much as an equity one.
• Importing experienced professionals, planning workforces for specific project phases and focusing on retention are valuable strategies.

The APAC region is seeing one of the biggest infrastructure expansions in its modern history. Data Centres, the physical backbone of cloud computing, AI and web services, are being built, commissioned and expanded at a pace that is placing huge pressure on the most valuable of resources: people.

The Numbers Behind the Build-Out

While valuations of the APAC Data Centre market vary, the overriding trend is one of consistent and substantial growth. Across various sources (such as Arizton, Grand View Research and NextMSC), the market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 9–14%, with the total market value increasing from around US$78–98 billion in 2025 to US$150–175 billion by 2030.

Capacity tells a similarly striking story: it’s forecast to expand by over 31.4 GW between 2025 and 2030. But despite this growth, there’s also predicted to be a shortage of live capacity of over 20 GW by 2027/28.

The primary drivers are well established: surging AI workloads, accelerating demand for cloud services, the proliferation of 5G networks, and government-backed digitalisation strategies across both established and emerging economies.

Key Markets and Workforce Challenges

1. Australia: Investment at Scale, Talent Shortages

Australia attracted US$6.7 billion in data centre investment in 2024, second only to the United States globally. Projects such as Doma Infrastructure Group’s hyperscale development in West Sydney, designed to deliver 50–60 MW of IT capacity for high-density cloud and AI workloads, illustrate how demand is now spreading beyond established corridors into adjacent industrial zones. 

The workforce challenges in Australia are clear: 

• Despite the country’s relatively mature Data Centre sector, there's a persistent shortage of MV/HV-qualified professionals, electrical construction managers and MEP project managers. 
• The hyperscaler and investor activity that is intensifying competition for the same pool of experienced professionals is leading to increased rates of attrition. 
• Some major contractors are reluctant to commit to Data Centre work altogether, citing demanding timelines, design complexity and concerns about staff burnout.

2. Vietnam: Emerging Ambition, Expatriate Dependency

Vietnam is entering a period of rapid build-out, demonstrated by projects such as the Tan Uyen SAM DigitalHub Data Centre in Bình Dương Province. This campus investment is worth up to US$1.5 billion, designed to support hyperscale and AI-driven workloads across South-east Asia with a planned load of 150 MW. The site benefits from abundant power availability and direct access to fibre routes, making phased construction viable. 

However, most engineers in Vietnam come from general construction, MEP or telecoms backgrounds rather than Data Centres. This means that experienced project managers, operations specialists and HV engineers are in acutely short supply. So, developers are forced to rely on expatriate talent, which increases costs through higher salaries, relocation packages and allowances.

3. South Korea: Expanding Boundaries

South Korea is home to one of the region’s most significant AI Data Centre investments: a US$5 billion SK Group–Amazon Web Services partnership at the Mipo National Industrial Complex in Ulsan. This will house 60,000 GPUs and is planned to provide 103 MW by early 2029 with potential for 1 GW in future.

The project’s location outside a traditional Data Centre hub highlights a regional pattern: increased access to electricity is now shifting investment to less traditional areas, which creates challenges for sourcing talent with the right skills and experience.

4. Malaysia: Ambition at Scale, Talent Racing to Catch Up

Malaysia has emerged as one of APAC’s most sought-after hyperscale destinations, attracting billions in investment from global technology companies drawn by government incentives and competitive power costs. Johor Bahru in particular has become a focal point, with major operators establishing large-scale campuses close to the Singapore border. 

However, projections of 30,900 new Data Centre jobs created annually by 2030 have raised serious questions about whether local talent pipelines can realistically support that ambition. The talent shortage is especially acute because the market is still establishing its footing, with few engineers possessing direct Data Centre experience.

The Transferable Skills Opportunity and the Case for Flexibility

Across all of these markets, a recurring theme is that the talent pool doesn’t need to be limited to those with direct Data Centre experience. Professionals from power generation, utilities, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, clean-room operations and regulated construction environments often possess highly relevant capabilities.

However, this shift towards adjacent industries isn't just about widening the talent pool – it's increasingly a commercial necessity.

The industry’s continued reliance on ‘Data Centre-only’ experience is creating a self-reinforcing cycle of talent shortages and salary inflation. With a limited pool of proven professionals, operators are frequently competing for the same individuals, leading to heavy use of counteroffers and talent poaching rather than genuine workforce expansion.

Industry data reflects this dynamic:

• 58% of operators report difficulty finding qualified candidates, while 40% struggle to retain staff due to poaching. 
• Salaries in some specialist roles are now up to 30% higher than equivalent positions in adjacent sectors. 
• At the same time, most organisations acknowledge they are spending more on compensation without closing capability gaps. 

In other words, increasing salaries alone is not solving the problem, as it is increasing cost bases.

By contrast, organisations that take a skills-based approach and actively assess adjacent-industry talent can unlock significant advantages. Case-based examples show that cross-industry hiring can reduce costs, accelerate time-to-fill and maintain strong performance outcomes when supported by structured assessment and onboarding frameworks. 

The critical factor is rigour. Adjacent experience must be assessed technically and behaviourally to ensure genuine applicability, rather than assumed equivalence. When done correctly, this approach not only addresses talent shortages but also stabilises long-term salary pressure.

The Talent Gap: Structural, Not Cyclical

AI Changes the Roles, Not Just the Headcount

The integration of AI into Data Centres is reshaping the workforce in two opposing ways. On one hand, predictive maintenance, infrastructure monitoring and energy optimisation are increasingly automated, which reduces the need for human intervention in routine processes. 

But on the other, demand is simultaneously surging for new roles that combine physical infrastructure knowledge with AI expertise, such as AI/ML engineers, cloud solutions architects, site reliability engineers and cybersecurity engineers. 

A 2024 study found that 69% of operators reported an acute shortage of talent capable of managing AI-driven infrastructure, even as 51% had already reduced unplanned downtime through AI-driven maintenance tools. At the same time, 47% planned to reduce their operational headcount within five years. 

So, it can be a cost-effective solution to retrain existing staff to work alongside AI, rather than simply treating AI as a mechanism to reduce headcount. 

Widening the Talent Pool: The Diversity Argument

One of the most direct, yet still under-utilised, responses to the skills shortage is to expand the talent pool for Data Centre recruitment in Asia. For example, it's estimated that women make up less than 4% of the workforce in most Data Centres. That is not just an equity issue – it is a capacity constraint. 

Removing barriers to hiring and development, as well as actively reaching out to under-represented groups through targeted recruitment channels, mentorship programmes and inclusive job postings, expands the available talent pool and has a measurable effect on time-to-fill and turnover. 

Research consistently shows that companies with strong gender and ethnic diversity financially outperform their regional industry averages – a case that is equally applicable to Data Centres competing for limited specialist talent. 

Workforce Planning That Builds Resilience

From Importing Expertise to Building It Locally

Where local talent pipelines are insufficient, importing experienced professionals is a rational short-term measure. But it also carries an often overlooked benefit: these specialists can actively accelerate the development of local talent by training, mentoring and embedding industry knowledge. Employer of Record (EOR) services smooth this process significantly, by allowing operators to efficiently deploy international professionals into markets where the hiring entity has no local presence.

Over the longer term, collaborative talent development, through public–private partnerships and industry-partnered certification ladders, is the more sustainable model. For example, Singapore’s IMDA TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA), a government–industry initiative, has upskilled more than 340,000 workers in tech since 2016.

Privately funded programmes, from apprenticeships to technical boot camps and certification ladders, are equally effective, particularly in markets where government-led initiatives are slower to scale.

Phased Data Centre Workforce Planning in Practice

Data Centre projects don’t require uniform staffing throughout their lifecycle. Construction mobilisation, mechanical and electrical fit-out, systems commissioning, and steady-state operations each demand different skills in different volumes at different times. As a result, treating Data Centre recruitment as a single event creates predictable, avoidable problems: delayed milestones, compromised commissioning quality and rushed hiring that inflates costs. 

For Data Centre workforce planning across APAC specifically, mobility lead times must be factored into project schedules. The time required to relocate international specialists to constrained markets is not a contingency item but a planning input, and should be treated as such from the earliest stages of project development.

Retention: Just As Important As Recruitment

Attracting talent into Data Centres is only part of the challenge. High turnover erodes operational resilience, increases costs, and disrupts progress on safety and sustainability targets. 

The most effective retention strategies include clear career progression pathways, flexible working policies (where roles permit), wellbeing programmes, a strong safety culture, and a credible Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) proposition. Research indicates that organisations with strong ESG practices experience up to 59% less employee turnover in high-attrition industries. Importantly, APAC employees show the largest increase in willingness to stay when employers strengthen their ESG commitments. 

NES Fircroft: Precision Workforce Solutions for Data Centres

At NES Fircroft, we have been delivering Data Centre recruitment in Asia since 2008, working from 29 regional offices within a global network of 80+ locations. 

Our services span the full project lifecycle, from design and construction, to commissioning and steady-state operations. Our engagement models are also built around specific client needs: permanent hires, contract staffing, Employer of Record (EOR) services, managed solutions and global mobility support. 

We maintain a highly mobile talent pool with professionals ready and willing to relocate nationally or internationally to align with project timelines. And through proactive talent mapping, we maintain visibility of niche, hard-to-find specialists who can be the difference between a project delivered on schedule and one that isn’t.

If you are planning, building or operating a Data Centre in APAC, contact us for consultation and advice on recruitment.

FAQs

Which companies are the leading providers of Data Centre workforce planning services in Australia? 

NES Fircroft has been active in Data Centre recruitment in Australia since 2008, supporting projects across design, construction, commissioning and operations through a combination of permanent, contract and managed workforce solutions.

How can my organisation build an efficient workforce plan for a new Data Centre project? 

Start by mapping your workforce requirements to each project phase, such as construction, fit-out, commissioning and operations. Engaging a specialist partner, such as NES Fircroft, early in the planning process allows talent pipelines to be built before demand peaks.

What are the most effective strategies for Data Centre talent acquisition in a competitive APAC market? 

The best strategies combine skills-based hiring (potentially also drawing on transferable experience from power, utilities, construction, and oil & gas) alongside cross-border mobility and diversifying the talent pool to address local supply constraints. 

Which technical skills are in highest demand for Data Centre construction and operations across Asia? 

HV electrical engineering, mechanical systems management (particularly cooling and HVAC), SCADA operations, commissioning management and mission-critical infrastructure operations are consistently in demand. Also, AI-related expertise is increasingly required.

How can I ensure my Data Centre project in Asia has access to specialised talent quickly? 

Proactive talent mapping and early engagement with a recruitment partner who holds an established regional presence are the most reliable approaches. Our 29 APAC offices and globally mobile talent pool mean we can deploy specialised professionals to project sites rapidly. Also, our EOR services remove the barrier of establishing a local entity.