---
title: "Kelly flags talent shortages as top bottleneck in data center buildout, 2026 salary guide says"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296934725.md"
description: "Kelly Services' 2026 Data Center Salary Guide identifies workforce shortages as the primary bottleneck for US data center expansion. With capex projected to exceed $700 billion in 2026 due to AI investment, 90% of operators cite staffing constraints, risking delays or cancellations for half of deliveries. The guide highlights significant pay dispersion, with national midpoints at $178,000 for operations leaders and $135,000 for commissioning managers."
datetime: "2026-08-25T15:26:47.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296934725.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296934725.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296934725.md)
generator: "portal-rs"
---

# Kelly flags talent shortages as top bottleneck in data center buildout, 2026 salary guide says

-   Kelly published its 2026 Data Center Salary Guide, flagging workforce shortages as the main bottleneck for US data center buildouts. \* Capex by the five largest US digital infrastructure providers projected to exceed $700 billion in 2026, driven by AI investment. \* 90% of operators cite staffing shortages as a critical constraint; about half of 2026 US deliveries risk delays or cancellations. \* Pay dispersion spans 46 percentage points, from Silicon Valley at 34.2% above the national average to Omaha at 11.8% below. \* National midpoints include $178,000 for data center operations leaders, $135,000 for commissioning program managers, $128,000 for construction managers. Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Kelly Services Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief via GlobeNewswire (Ref. ID: 202608251126PRIMZONEFULLFEED9815723) on August 25, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. © Copyright 2026 - Public Technologies (PUBT)

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> **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**