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Data centre operator

Also called data centre employee, data center operator, data centre operators

Data centre operators maintain computer operations within the data centre. They manage daily activities within the centre to solve problems, maintain the system availability, and evaluate the system's performance.

Will there be jobs?Yes, good prospects45 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Information and communications techniciansWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,700 (Bulgaria) to €7,000 (Ireland) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Information and communications techniciansWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree5 in 10 have a degree. 4 in 10 train through vocational routes.Information and communications techniciansWill AI change it?ModeratelyLevel 4 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.ICT operations technicians · ILO

What you'd do

ICT operations technicians · ILO
  • Operating and controlling peripheral and related computer equipment
  • Entering commands, using computer terminal, and activating controls on computer and peripheral equipment to integrate and operate equipment
  • Monitoring systems for equipment failure or errors in performance
  • Notifying supervisor or maintenance technician of equipment malfunctions
  • Responding to programme error messages by finding and correcting problems, escalating the problem to other staff or terminating the programme
  • Reading job set-up instructions to determine equipment to be used, order of use, material such as disks and paper to be loaded, and control settings
  • Retrieving, separating and sorting programme output as needed, and sending data to specified users
  • Loading peripheral equipment, such as printers, with selected materials for operating runs, or overseeing loading of peripheral equipment by peripheral equipment operators
Maintain ICT serverAdminister ICT systemAnalyse ICT systemMigrate existing dataMaintain database performance+ 6 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the related, broader US job "Network and Computer Systems Administrators"

Will there be jobs?

Yes, good prospects

Many jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as information and communications technicians in the EU
1.49m2.03m2.48m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
368,000 new jobs 590,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Information and communications technicians45
All jobs29
Right now
6 of 27 countries report a shortage of ICT operations technicians, 7 a surplus.
ICT operations technicians · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,700 a month (Bulgaria) to €7,000 (Ireland), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in database and network design and administration is the usual route.

Highest qualification of information and communications technicians (EU, 2025)
Degree 46%Vocational 33%General secondary 13%Basic schooling 8%
Fields that teach it
Database and network design and administration · Software and applications development and analysis
Vocational route, EU
4 in 10 trainees in this field
ICT graduates in a matching job
77% in the EU

887 institutions in the EU offer ICT bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Moderately

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.43 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Retrieving, separating and sorting programme output as needed, and sending data to specified users0.67
Reading job set-up instructions to determine equipment to be used, order of use, material such as disks and paper to be loaded, and control settings0.50
Responding to programme error messages by finding and correcting problems, escalating the problem to other staff or terminating the programme0.47
Entering commands, using computer terminal, and activating controls on computer and peripheral equipment to integrate and operate equipment0.44
Operating and controlling peripheral and related computer equipment0.41
Notifying supervisor or maintenance technician of equipment malfunctions0.40
Monitoring systems for equipment failure or errors in performance0.35
Loading peripheral equipment, such as printers, with selected materials for operating runs, or overseeing loading of peripheral equipment by peripheral equipment operators0.20

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for ICT operations technicians. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).