Data centre hiring hits record as Kouvola ranks third for jobs
Thursday 15th October 2026 on 16:30 in
Finland
Data centre job listings have surged to record levels in Finland, with Kouvola ranking third for vacancies after Helsinki and Espoo, Yle reports.
The Duunitori job search service recorded about 500 data centre job advertisements in the Kymenlaakso region this year. More than 10 per cent of all such vacancies in Finland were in the region, a high share relative to its population, said Aino Salonen, Duunitori’s communications director.
In September, the number of data centre job listings nationwide climbed to more than 800, from just over 100 a year earlier. Listings in Kymenlaakso rose 27 per cent that month, while the national increase was only a few per cent. More than 70 employers in the region were seeking staff for data centre-related work.
A TikTok data centre is being built in Koria, in Kouvola, while Google is expanding its data centre in Hamina. Further data centres are planned in Ummeljoki, Kuusankoski and Voikkaa, all in Kouvola. A Singaporean company is also building a data centre at Kymin Ruukki in Kouvola.
The growth is also reflected in figures from the Southeast Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, particularly in construction jobs. Building work available in the region was up more than 80 per cent from a year earlier, said the centre’s forecasting specialist Edla Inkilä.
Construction work at data centres is often project-based and temporary, Inkilä said. The number of permanent roles sought in Kymenlaakso has grown over the summer, including jobs in maintenance and operations development. Electricians, project managers and electrical engineers are among the most sought-after workers, according to Duunitori.
Experts have criticised data centre companies’ estimates of the centres’ employment impact as overly optimistic. Construction creates jobs, but the need for workers falls once a centre is operational.
Official employment figures for September will be released next week. Inkilä said she expected job listings to keep increasing as companies recruit both construction workers and longer-term staff.