Data centers cost billions but employ only a few dozen people

A data center can cost billions of dollars to build and still employ only a few dozen people once it opens. That is the point of a recent Fast Company piece asking whether these facilities really create jobs in the places that host them.

What the story says

Data centers are large buildings full of computers that store and process information. Building one takes enormous spending on land, the building itself, computer equipment and power infrastructure. Money is pouring into new ones.

After construction ends, the staffing is small. The jobs named in the story are IT technicians, engineers and security guards.

Who it affects

Anyone living in a town or state that is courting a data center. Local leaders often welcome big projects because of the investment they bring. The gap between the size of the spending and the size of the workforce is worth noticing.

What is not known yet

The full article was not available, so the exact job counts, locations and any tax breaks are not covered here. The material also does not say how many temporary construction jobs a project creates or how much a data center adds to local tax revenue. Those details vary by project.

What to ask

• How many permanent jobs will the data center create?
• What tax breaks or other incentives does it receive?
• What does the community get in return?