Choosing the right data centre recruitment partner has never been so important…
In the modern world, internet and data usage are a critical part of our lives and it’s this usage is only set to continue.
According to AFCOM:
- Annual global IP traffic will reach 3.3 zettabytes by 2021. In 2016, global IP traffic was 1.2 ZB per year or 96 exabytes (one billion gigabytes) per month.
- Global IP traffic will increase nearly threefold over the next five years, and will have increased 127-fold from 2005 to 2021.
Growth factors for the data center market are similar to those driving overall internet growth these include: increasing broadband penetration; e-commerce; video delivery; gaming; social media; VOIP; cloud computing; and web applications. Meaning, higher growth in these areas equals higher demand for data center infrastructure.
What does this mean from a staffing point of view? Simply put, we need more personnel!
As a result of these demands, in a survey carried out by 451 Group, 74% of organisations said that recruiting for data centre and facilities is at least moderately difficult. Respondents pointed to three common reasons: current candidates lack skills and experience, salary asking prices are too high, and there is a lack of candidates in the organisation’s region.
What are the causes of this skills gap and what can we do?
Some main causes for this skills gap are as follows :
- Ageing Workforce: A large percentage of critical operations staff, such as M&E Operations Engineers and Shift Engineers were born in the “Baby Boomer” era and are approaching or already at retirement age. Experiences shared by Uptime Institute Network members suggest that the data center industry is highly vulnerable to, if not already diminished by, this larger societal trend. Network members estimate that 40% of the facilities engineering community is older than 50. One member of the Network expects that 50% of its staff will retire in the next two years.
- Gender Gap: Only around 9% of science, technology, engineering and maths occupations are filled by women – We need more women in the industry!
- Failure to Attract Young People: There are few schemes offering apprenticeships to school leavers and fewer university goers are choosing courses related to mechanical and electrical engineering, building services and other relevant degrees. Many students are also not attracted to 24×7 nature of the work.
How do we combat this in future?
- Setup viable options for school leavers – apprenticeships for mechanical and electrical engineers would be a huge draw for students not looking to attend university
- Automation and AI – reduce the number of staff needed to operate a data center by utilising advancements in artificial intelligence
- Key organisations in the industry should work closely with universities to establish gap year programs and promote the industry
- Offer comprehensive cross-functional training programs for individuals moving from other industries or veterans from the armed forces.
What can we do now?
Most of the above suggestions are unfortunately a longterm plan to stem the skills gap in the future and do not help with immediate vacancies. That’s where we come in. Data center organisations, now more than ever, need to partner with a the right recruitment company to fulfil current roles.
Get in touch with Datacenex on our contact page to discuss how we can help.