Study challenges UK datacentre job claims

UK datacentres currently planned are likely to directly employ 10,400 workers, according to analysis by environmental thinktank Verdant, far below the more than 40,000 cited in projections by TechUK. The research says facilities already built have directly created fewer than 4,400 jobs, equal to about 8.6 jobs for each megawatt of energy they consume, compared with the 43.7 jobs claimed in TechUK projections.

Verdant based its assessment on 20 projects with publicly available staffing data, including planning applications, company accounts and press releases, alongside international comparisons. The thinktank argues that future projects are generally larger and may be less job-intensive, potentially creating as few as 1.6 permanent positions per megawatt. Its analysis focuses on permanent operational roles rather than temporary construction work.

The government rejected Verdant’s jobs-per-megawatt comparison and said the analysis discounts the wider economic value of computing capacity, national security and sovereignty. Labour has classified AI datacentres as critical national infrastructure to accelerate planning, while the Green party in England has called for a pause amid concerns over water use, energy demand and local opposition. TechUK said its estimates that the sector supports 43,500 jobs, and could support 40,000 more by 2035, remain reasonable.