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Kelly® Releases 2026 Data Center Salary Guide Highlighting Compensation, Hiring Trends Driven by AI Acceleration

$KELYAPress releaseAug 25, 2026, 11:26 AM ETRead the release

Kelly Services published its 2026 Data Center Salary Guide, identifying talent shortages as the primary bottleneck to the sector's growth amid an estimated $700 billion in capital expenditures this year. The report projects permanent data center employment will reach 650,000 positions by 2026, a 30% increase from 2023, with salary benchmarks for specialized roles like AI Engineers reaching a $175,000 midpoint.

Key figures

Revenue 2025
$4.3 billion
Projected capex 2026
$700 billion
Permanent employment 2026
650000
Personnel hired away rate
25%
Ops leader salary midpoint
$178,000
Ai engineer salary midpoint
$175,000
Employment growth 2023 to 2026
30%
Technician sme salary midpoint
$112,000
Commissioning pm salary midpoint
$135,000
Construction jobs projected 2028
180000
Construction manager salary midpoint
$128,000

AI analysis

The rest of the AI analysis, red flags and sentiment are part of Signal8 Pro.

AI-generated analysis of a public disclosure. Not investment advice; verify against the original document.