Second Talent's 2027 workforce outlook finds that 4.8 GW of data center capacity is under construction across Asia-Pacific, while electrical and operations roles remain among the hardest positions to fill.
-- Second Talent has released its 2027 data-center workforce outlook, published October 27, 2026, examining staffing shortages alongside Asia-Pacific construction.
Asia's Data Center Workforce Outlook 2027 examines workforce challenges accompanying the region's expanding market. According to a Cushman & Wakefield H1 2026 update, the Asia-Pacific data center pipeline reached 26.5 GW in the first half of 2026, including 4.8 GW under construction and another 21.7 GW in planned capacity.
According to the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2026, 53% of data center operators globally reported difficulty finding qualified candidates for open positions, up from 46% in 2025. This is a global finding rather than an Asia-specific measurement.
Uptime Institute staffing survey findings cited in the report show that 38% of operators reported skills gaps in electrical roles, with the same share identifying shortages among junior- and mid-level operations staff. Uptime Institute staffing survey findings put skills gaps in operations management at 35% and mechanical roles at 34%.
"Data center investment is moving quickly, but developing the workforce takes considerably longer. A facility can be built on a construction schedule, but operators still need people with the experience to commission equipment, manage critical infrastructure, and maintain uptime. The competition for those people is already increasing," said Elton Chan, Co-founder and CEO of Second Talent.
Around half of the 4.8 GW of data center capacity under construction across Asia-Pacific is located in Southeast Asia, according to the Cushman & Wakefield H1 2026 update, which recorded 1,039 MW under construction in Malaysia and 859 MW in Thailand in the first half of 2026. The same update found that Bangkok's under-construction capacity increased 148% in six months to reach 859 MW, while Greater Jakarta's pipeline grew 112% to reach 395 MW over the same period.
These projects will require workers across construction, commissioning, electrical and mechanical systems, and ongoing operations. The Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2026 found that 28% of operators reported competitors had recruited staff away from them.
An ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office analysis published in May 2026 estimated that a typical data center in Malaysia creates around 30 to 50 permanent jobs once operational.
Uptime Institute staffing survey findings also show that 55% of operators increased salary spending in 2025. Singapore Ministry of Manpower Occupational Wages 2025 data put the median basic monthly wage for data center engineers at SGD 7,020 as of June 2025, with the 75th percentile at SGD 11,296. The Robert Walters Japan Salary Survey 2026 found that data center specialists changing jobs in Japan received salary increases of 15% to 20% in 2025.
The Aon Salary Increase and Turnover Study projected average 2027 salary increases of 6.7% in Vietnam, 5.5% in Indonesia, 5.3% in the Philippines, 4.8% in Malaysia, 4.6% in Thailand, and 4.1% in Singapore, figures that cover the wider labor market rather than data center roles specifically.
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower will raise the minimum qualifying salary for new Employment Pass applicants to SGD 6,000 per month from January 2027, while Malaysia's employment-pass requirements for expatriate workers were revised, with changes taking effect in June 2026.
The outlook highlights training initiatives from operators, equipment providers, and educational institutions, while noting that developing hands-on experience in critical infrastructure and facility operations takes time. The Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2026 also found that 74% of operators surveyed said women make up approximately 10% of their workforce, pointing to an additional opportunity to widen the industry's talent pool.
Second Talent provides engineering teams across Asia for companies expanding the software and engineering capabilities that support data center infrastructure, including through its services for hiring developers in India and hiring developers in the Philippines.
As construction and operations hiring overlap in markets such as Johor, Bangkok, and Jakarta, the report identifies talent availability as an increasingly important consideration alongside power, land, equipment, and construction timelines.
About Second Talent
Second Talent is a tech talent platform connecting companies with engineers and specialists from Asia. It was founded in 2023 by Elton Chan and Matt Li.
Contact Info:
Name: Elton Chan
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Organization: Second Talent
Website: https://www.secondtalent.com
Release ID: 89209215
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