Data center jobs pay 40-60% more than comparable roles — and demand keeps climbing

Indeed's Hiring Lab reports that searches for data-center jobs have doubled since the start of 2026 and are 8x higher than early 2022. Facilities managers earn a 63% wage premium, installation workers 42% more, network engineers about $25,000 more annually and construction managers about $30,000 more than comparable roles elsewhere — alongside far richer benefits (401(k) offered in 90% of installation postings vs. 48% elsewhere) but demanding schedules (night shifts ~40x more common, 25%+ of roles requiring up to 50% travel).

What it means This is a named-source, numbers-backed answer to what AI datacenter buildout is actually doing to real jobs and pay — exactly the evidence-about-work-and-workers signal The AI Labor Seismograph exists to catch, and useful to any business owner or consultant staffing or pricing around this buildout.