The Polish Data Centre Association (PLDCA) has more than 100 members today and its scope extends to promoting education, skills development, and job creation.
A report prepared by the PLDCA in partnership with PwC in Poland from June is a useful guide to the data centre industry in Poland today.
According to the data available there were approximately 41,000 jobs across Poland associated with the data centre sector in 2025. About a third of all jobs in the Polish energy sector. The report specifies that direct employment is approximately 27,000 jobs including technicians, network specialists, facility managers, security staff, corporate support functions and IT engineers.
Equinix, a global leader in digital infrastructure and interconnection services, has been present in Poland since the mid-2010s. The report uses the company’s expansion as a case study to show the impact of growth in the sector. Equinix Warsaw employs over 500 people, and the team grew 10 times within the last 7 years.
When it comes to specific skills shortages the report also addresses this. Operators increasingly require specialised skills in power systems engineering, advanced cooling, automation, cybersecurity, and AI-assisted operations. In a survey which appeared in the report 74 per cent of respondents agreed that there are plans to increase in employment in their organisations in the next 12 months.
We spoke to Piotr Kowalski, Managing Director of the PLDCA, about the job market and some of the associations’ latest initiatives in more detail.
How the PLDCA Is Building a Data Centre Talent Pipeline
The PLDCA is running a skills development programme through its collaboration with DCD Academy, Warsaw University of Technology, Poznan University of Technology, and a group of member companies. The scholarship and internship programme is designed to build a structured transition from education to employment.
“This programme is how we’re trying to attract young graduates from technical universities,” Piotr explained. Many young graduates are unfamiliar with the data centre sector so programmes like this have been created to help improve that.
“We give the successful applicants grants to support their 60-hour training programme at the DCD Academy,” Piotr added. DCD Academy in Poland refers to the training and certification arm of DatacenterDynamics.
The training gives applicants the basic knowledge about the data center industry. It also gives members of the PLDCA a regular pipeline of future data centre employees.
Piotr was keen to highlight how there was a lot more to do for the industry. PSE – the Polish electricity grid operator, is set to receive 66 billion zloties of funding from Poland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). This is to help build over 5,000 kilometres of new power infrastructure. It will mean there will be a lot of recruitment over the next few years. For both the energy sector as well as the data centre sector.
Why Data Centres Are Competing with the Grid for Technical Staff
We recently wrote about how there was a potential conflict of interest between the grid operator, PSE, and individual data centre companies, over hiring technical talent. With a large number of projects planned for Poland’s electricity grid, there is a real need to discuss where the related skills will be found to solve this problem.
Piotr did not show concern for this challenge. He shared how the opportunity to solve this problem might be in decarbonization. Not only have Poles embraced the idea of nuclear power, but there are further initiatives to use some of the technical expertise that coal powered generators employed and transfer those skills to sectors that can better support the data centre sector today.
With the growth of nuclear power, the grid will be able to supply much of the load that is needed for the growth planned in Poland. It is also one of the ways that Poland is looking to move away from its reliance on coal.
One example Piotr pointed to was a coal plant which was recently closed in Dolna Odra. It recently had to terminate the contracts of 600 people, many of whom had worked there their whole lives. The site is being converted to gas. Those people already know mission-critical operations, energy systems and cooling. That is the profile data centres need.
Where Data Centre Jobs Are Appearing Outside the Big Cities
We discussed many of the challenges faced by the data centre industry in Poland today. The growth in investment is something that has taken many by surprise. Employers and stakeholders are mainly positive about the growth prospects of Poland. The country has the joint sixth highest number of data centres in Europe alongside Spain, 144 in total. Europe’s data centre sector is dominated by France, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and Ireland.
Piotr believes that the data centre sector can become another vital part of Poland’s economy. And the country’s talent can form part of the success of this growing sector today. Not just in Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw or the usual big cities. Opportunities abound in smaller towns like Skawina, Choczewo, Konin, or Alwernia.
Verita HR’s recruitment team are engaged with the leading employers in the Polish data centre sector. If you need to learn more about the way that the Polish employment or talent market works, get in touch with them for more information.
Next year, when the PLDCA has its annual conference in April – Gateway Poland, will be a great opportunity for those interested in finding out more. For more information about this year’s event click here.
Author: Andy Samu
See Also:
Is Poland’s Power Grid Blocking Data Centre Growth in Warsaw? – Verita HR
Who Is Already Hiring Data Centre Facilities Staff West of Warsaw? – Verita HR
