Electricity Sector Now Leads Global Energy Employment
The growing emphasis and importance of electric utilities and the power they generate in Oklahoma mirrors a much broader global shift now unfolding across nearly every major economy in the world.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that the electricity sector is now the world’s largest energy employer, surpassing fuel supply for the first time as the Age of Electricity gathers pace.
Electricity Jobs Surge Worldwide
According to an IEA Executive Summary, over the past five years, employment in the electricity sector — including generation, transmission, distribution and storage — has risen by 3.9 million jobs. That growth accounts for nearly three-quarters of all new energy job additions worldwide.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy has driven half of that job growth since 2019.
Nuclear power, power grids and energy storage contributed another quarter of new electricity-sector jobs, despite soaring component costs and ongoing worker shortages.
At the same time, offshore wind has struggled. Persistent market challenges triggered turbine manufacturing layoffs, with wind industry jobs declining 6% in 2024.
EV Manufacturing Reshapes Transportation Jobs
The worldwide shift toward electrification now reshapes employment beyond power generation.
Vehicle manufacturing employment continues to rise, driven by electric vehicle expansion. EV-related jobs jumped by nearly 800,000 last year alone.
In China, almost 40% of all vehicle manufacturing jobs now support EVs and battery production. Employment in other energy end uses rose 2%, fueled by electrification in buildings and industrial operations.
Many workers now retrain for new roles, including:
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Heating technicians learning to install heat pumps
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Auto workers transitioning to EV assembly lines
The growth also reflects entirely new job creation in battery manufacturing and electric industrial equipment installation.
Oil, Gas and Coal Employment Trends
Despite electrification growth, global energy demand remains strong across all fuels.
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Coal supply jobs have rebounded sharply in India, China and Indonesia, lifting global coal employment 8% above 2019 levels
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Oil and gas supply employment recovered most jobs lost in 2020
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However, lower oil prices and revenues now push many firms into retrenchment, with major oil companies announcing job cuts in 2025
Skilled Worker Shortages Intensify
The IEA survey of more than 700 energy firms, educators and trade unions shows over half face critical hiring bottlenecks, the highest level ever recorded.
These shortages strike hardest in applied technical roles, including:
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Electricians
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Pipefitters
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Power-line workers
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Engineers, especially in nuclear power
Applied technical workers represent over half of the total energy workforce — double their share in the rest of the economy — and their ranks grew by 2.5 million since 2019.
Aging Workforce Deepens the Crisis
The energy workforce is aging faster than the broader economy:
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In nuclear, for every one young worker entering, 1.7 workers approach retirement
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In grid operations, the ratio stands at 1.4 nearing retirement for every young worker
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Across advanced economies, 2.4 workers near retirement for every worker under 25
Between now and 2035, two out of every three new energy hires will simply replace retirees.
Training Pipeline Falls Behind Demand
Demand for applied technical workers grew 16% from 2015 to 2022, but vocational grad growth reached only 9%.
To avoid worsening shortages by 2030, energy graduate output must rise 40% globally. Expanding training capacity to that level would cost $2.6 billion annually worldwide — less than 0.1% of global public education spending.
Reskilling Offers Partial Relief
More than 40% of energy firms prefer internal recruiting. About two-thirds of oil and gas workers already possess transferable skills, while coal workers face greater retraining barriers, especially in informal economies.
AI Helps, But Won’t Replace Technical Workers
Energy companies now use AI for permitting, safety monitoring, system performance and virtual reality training. But firms still report AI will not reduce demand for hands-on technical labor.
Today, AI-skilled workers remain 40% less prevalent in energy than in tech, finance or education industries.