FDCA 2025 Insights: Finland Data Centre Recruitment and Talent Outlook
Finland is not quietly growing. It is accelerating. That was the prevailing mood at FDCA, where market data, operator plans, and policy headwinds all converged into a single message for employers. If you need scarce people for complex programmes, the clock is already ticking.
What Finland’s Data Centre Market Is Signalling
Momentum is real
FDCA’s new market study quantifies the economic and societal weight of data centres in Finland and points to strong development prospects. The industry’s footprint is already material and still expanding.
Investment appetite remains high
From TikTok’s €12 billion “Project Clover” to Google’s continued expansion in Hamina, international players are reaffirming Finland’s position as a trusted location for secure European data storage and AI infrastructure. Much of this confidence stems from Finland’s clean energy mix, strong grid reliability and transparent regulation.
Technology and power use are evolving fast
Data centre power densities are rising, with racks reaching up to one megawatt, creating a surge in demand for advanced cooling technologies. The Finnish market for cooling and related infrastructure is expected to grow into a multi-billion-euro segment in just a few years. Water Use Efficiency (WUE) has joined Power Use Efficiency (PUE) as a critical KPI, reflecting the environmental expectations now placed on operators.
Energy efficiency and flexibility are under scrutiny
The EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive places heavier reporting responsibilities on data centres, while Fingrid forecasts that national electricity demand will double within a decade. Data centres will increasingly play an active role in grid balancing and flexibility — with consumption expected to adapt dynamically as part of wider grid stabilisation.
IE Insights: The future of Finland’s Data Centre Recruitment
Policy and planning are shaping the path ahead
Tax treatment, permitting, and workforce availability continue to influence investment timelines. While market fundamentals remain strong, the sector’s ability to scale will depend on how quickly education, infrastructure, and energy planning can adapt to sustained growth.
Finland’s data centre ecosystem is expanding at record pace, but its long-term success will depend on how effectively it can align its energy ambitions with a skilled, future-ready workforce.
Finland’s data centre sector is expanding at a remarkable pace, but the human capital challenge is becoming equally significant. Drawing on discussions across the FDCA event, our consultants shared two clear perspectives on where hiring strategies must evolve.
“This is the moment when recruitment changes from reactive to proactive.”
— Tony Lindo, Intelligent Employment
Electrical, HVAC and automation expertise is in constant demand, with project specialists moving rapidly between megaprojects. Waiting to recruit until a need arises simply isn’t viable. The same applies to programme managers, HSE and quality leaders, and procurement professionals who can navigate complex international supply chains.
According to Tony, the solution lies in forward planning. “Organisations that build relationships with the right experts early will find themselves ahead when projects move into execution,” he explains. “Those who recruit only when the work starts will already be behind.”
“There’s a need for talent, but not many plug-and-play candidates.”
— Simon Evans-Jones, Intelligent Employment
Simon highlights a different but complementary issue: “The data centre industry in Finland is still relatively young, which means many of the skills we need don’t yet exist in a ready-made form. Employers should look beyond direct experience, seek transferable skills from related sectors, and invest in upskilling.”
He adds that a proactive mindset is vital. “Many of these professionals may not apply for roles outside their current sectors. Reaching out, engaging early and showing them a clear growth path can make all the difference.”
Together, these insights underline the same truth: success in Finland’s rapidly developing data centre market will depend not only on energy and infrastructure, but on the ability to identify, attract and grow the right people before everyone else does.
What this means for Intelligent Employment partners
The market is expanding. Power and policy will decide the pace. Talent will decide who captures it.
Our team focuses on building proactive talent pipelines for Finland and international hires across construction delivery, controls and automation, programme leadership, HSE and quality, commercial and procurement, and operations. The right people are the foundation of every successful project, especially in complex, fast-moving sectors like data centres and energy infrastructure. Selecting the right staff at the right time can determine whether a project stays on schedule, on budget, and on brief.
See our membership page for how we collaborate with the association and wider ecosystem: Intelligent Employment × FDCA.
If you are planning capacity in Finland’s data centre, energy or construction ecosystem and want a practical talent roadmap, get in touch and book in a meeting so we can discuss how to give your project the best start and set it up for lasting success.
Sources
- Finnish Data Center Association — The Market Study and Impact Modeling report, 18 September 2025.
- Polar Node — Summary of FDCA report, 18 September 2025.
- Reuters — Google invests €1 billion to expand its Hamina data centre, 20 May 2024.
- Fortum — Microsoft data centres in Espoo and Kirkkonummi to supply up to 40 percent of regional district heat.
- Reuters — Microsoft’s Nordic power-first expansion strategy and Finland build out, 7 March 2025.
- DayOne — Lahti campus announcement, €1.2 billion and up to 128 MW IT load, 14 August 2025.
- Fingrid — Restrictions on new grid energy storage connections in Southern Finland until 2029, 26 September 2025.
- Montel News — Fingrid says data centres could support the grid with around one gigawatt via backup assets, 17 June 2025.
- Computer Weekly — Finland government proposal to remove electricity tax relief for data centres, 29 September 2025.
- Reuters — TikTok plans €1 billion data centre in Finland under Project Clover, 30 April 2025.