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Data centre industry salary growth outstripping global wage increases

Data centre sector salary growth has outstripped global wage increases over the last 12 months, says one of the findings of the DatacenterPeople Salary White Paper. The new white paper has been developed on behalf of DatacenterPeople by DCD Intelligence.

DatacenterPeople managing director, Peter Hannaford said, 'The White Paper indicates an estimated half a million people are employed in data centres around the globe, yet relatively little is known about their salary levels, qualifications or their experience. The DatacenterPeople Salary White Paper aims to help overcome the difficulties which employers and candidates face in terms of knowing their worth and setting expectations.'

Employment opportunities in the sector comprises positions in both facilities and IT (where the larger proportion of personnel are employed), but it is expected that continuous changes in facility design and the technologies being implemented will lead to the roles merging closer together in the next five years. Currently, however, over 60 per cent of data centre operators cite a lack of suitably qualified staff as one of the major issues they face in the coming 12 months.

The increasing reliance by businesses on IT infrastructure, particularly data centres, coupled with the fact that there are a limited number of people with the experience and qualifications necessary at the higher levels of the industry has led to an almost recession proof growth in salary levels. Globally there has been an average increase in salaries of 3.9 per cent across all sectors during the last 12 months.

The need for education and training is also highlighted in the new report; globally it appears that a technical diploma offers greater salary expectations than a graduate degree. This may be due to the career path of an older qualified workforce which has come into the industry through an apprenticeship or similar route. Those qualified to degree level have seen their salaries increase over the last 12 months; those without any form of tertiary or technical qualifications have seen a drop in wage, indicating the increasing importance of further education in the sector.

The Datacenterpeople Salary White Paper is available for download free of charge from www.datacenterpeople.org.