Labor Shortage is Bad for Data Centers, Good for Construction Salaries

A shortage of construction workers with skills specific to data centers is hindering the growth of digital infrastructure, says Amazon Web Service's former Worldwide Head of Engineering, Construction and Real Estate.

In a wide-ranging Cool Vector interview, Sandra Benson, now Vice President of Industry Transformation at Procore Technologies, says of the global race to construct data centers: “ We literally can't build fast enough. The biggest reason we can't is we don't have the labor to build fast enough. And even if we had the bodies, there's also skill development” necessary. 

The proliferation of data center projects around the world has contributed to the demand for skilled labor, which has led to a rise in compensation. “You can go to a trade school, come out and the kind of salary in general that you can command now versus even five or 10 years ago is exponentially different,” says Benson. 

In her Cool Vector interview, Benson discusses her professional background as a woman in a male-dominated industry, as well as the public relations issue faced by construction. “ I think it’s a great industry, but we have a perception problem,” says Benson. “I've said this for almost 30 years. People think of construction as very backwards, right? That it’s not very digital. And that is absolutely not true.”

Benson also shares insights into skills necessary for success in data center construction, including installation skills as well as contracting projects with full commissioning, meaning the mandate to make the many components of a data center site work together, although these may be overseen by different contractors. 

Benson also discusses the challenge of integrating sustainability goals into data center construction projects in the midst of a labor shortage, as well as the sense of excitement among construction executives for their growing backlogs of projects.