Podcast Episode: What’s Driving the Surge in Energy Jobs?

Why It Matters

The energy sector’s rapid job growth underpins global economic recovery and the clean‑energy transition, but persistent skills shortages and an aging workforce threaten to stall critical projects and jeopardize energy security.

Key Takeaways

• Energy sector added over five million jobs since 2019.
• Power sector, especially solar PV, drives half of new electricity jobs.
• Skilled trades and technicians comprise over half of energy workforce.
• Hiring bottlenecks raise project costs and delay critical energy projects.
• Aging workforce and training gaps threaten future energy security.

Summary

The IA’s "Everything Energy" podcast examines why the energy sector is experiencing a pronounced surge in employment, adding more than five million jobs globally since 2019 and now employing roughly 75 million people. Energy jobs grew at nearly twice the rate of the overall economy in 2024, with the power segment—particularly solar photovoltaic—accounting for about half of new electricity‑sector positions, while nuclear, grids and storage contribute another quarter. Key data points reveal that skilled trades, electricians, welders and plant technicians make up over 50 % of the workforce, a share more than double that of the broader economy. Yet half of surveyed firms report operational bottlenecks caused by talent shortages, driving up project costs and delaying critical builds. An aging demographic compounds the issue: for every new entrant, 2.4 workers are nearing retirement, especially on grid infrastructure, and AI tools, while improving administrative efficiency, cannot yet replace hands‑on technical labor. The analysts cite concrete examples: China remains the hub for energy manufacturing, while emerging markets such as India, Indonesia and the Middle East posted the fastest job growth in 2024. Solutions highlighted include South Africa’s energy‑skills roadmap, Canada’s Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, and Denmark’s wage‑compensation schemes for reskilling, underscoring the need for subsidized apprenticeships, industry‑education collaboration, and social dialogue to ensure fair wages, job security and safety. The broader implication is clear: without coordinated multistakeholder action to expand accessible, industry‑aligned training and to attract younger workers, the sector risks a talent shortfall that could undermine energy security and slow the transition to clean power. Policymakers and companies must act now to close the skills gap, otherwise the momentum of job creation may stall just as demand for clean energy accelerates.

Original Description

The global energy sector is adding jobs twice as fast as the overall economy. But where is this growth coming from? And with skills shortages increasing, can it keep up the momentum?

In this episode, IEA analysts Elspeth Hathaway and Rebecca Ruff – two authors of the World Energy Employment (https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-employment-2025) report – dive into the latest data. They talk about who works in the energy sector, what’s been driving the strong rise in energy jobs globally, and how to tackle growing skills gaps, which could otherwise complicate efforts by countries to meet rising energy demand securely and affordably.