Australia's 251 Data Centers Create 20-88 Direct Jobs Each as Water, Power Demands Climb
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Jul 25
Australia's 251 Data Centers Create 20-88 Direct Jobs Each as Water, Power Demands Climb
1 articles · Updated · ABC News · Jul 25
Summary
UK and US studies cited in the report show completed data centers typically employ only a few dozen to a few hundred people directly, with some facilities needing just 20-88 full-time staff and one Virginia site about 50.
Construction is the main jobs engine: large projects can support 1,000-10,000 workers, including roughly 1,500 on site at peak, but that demand usually lasts only 12 to 18 months.
Australia already has 251 operating data centers, and the buildout is intensifying even as critics say advocates overstate long-term employment gains and may pull scarce skilled trades away from housing construction.
Resource use is sharpening the debate: a 1-megawatt center can consume 25.5 million liters of water a year, data centers used 2% of Australia's electricity last year, and the Climate Council says that could reach 6% by 2030.
The Albanese government has responded with AI-sector expectations for cleaner power, lower emissions and transparent water reporting as Sydney Water projects data centers could consume 87.5 billion liters—about a quarter of the city's annual drinking water—by the late 2020s.