Verdant Says U.K. Data Centers Will Create Far Fewer Permanent Jobs Than TechUK Estimates

According to CNBC, economic think tank Verdant said the U.K. government and industry leaders have approved new data center construction using figures from tech trade group techUK that overstate permanent employment. Verdant estimates existing U.K. data centers support about 4,400 direct jobs, versus techUK's estimate of 24,300, and projects about 10,400 permanent operational jobs from planned developments by 2035, compared with techUK's forecast of 40,200 roles. Verdant said its review of 20 planned U.K. data centers found a capacity-weighted average of 1.2 operational jobs per megawatt, below techUK's 8.5 jobs per megawatt estimate. TechUK said its figures were based on published methodology and industry data, while a U.K. government spokesperson disputed Verdant's claims and said the report relied on a misleading jobs-per-megawatt metric.