Everything Energy What’s driving the surge in energy jobs?
Feb 5, 2026
Rebecca Ruff, IEA analyst tracking global energy employment trends. Elspeth Hathaway, IEA analyst focused on skills and workforce policy. They explore rapid job growth in energy, which roles are expanding like solar, grids and storage, where shortages and ageing workforces pose risks, and what training, apprenticeships and policy fixes could keep the momentum going.
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Energy As A Major Job Engine
- The energy sector added over 5 million jobs since 2019 and grew nearly twice as fast as the wider economy in 2024.
- Energy accounted for large shares of national job growth in countries like China and the United States.
Power Sector Leads Employment Growth
- The power sector now employs the most people, led by solar PV which accounted for half of electricity-sector job additions since 2019.
- Nuclear, grids and storage made up roughly another quarter of new power jobs as oil and gas recovered lost roles.
Hands-On Technical Roles Dominate
- Over half of the energy workforce are applied technical workers like electricians, welders, technicians and plant operators.
- Most roles need formal vocational or advanced technical training and cannot be scaled overnight.