Global employment in the energy sector is expanding nearly twice as fast as the wider economy, driven by strong investment in infrastructure, according to the IEA’s World Energy Employment 2025 report. Energy jobs rose by 2.2% in 2024, with total sector employment reaching 76 million, an increase of over 5 million since 2019, accounting for 2.4% of all net global job creation over the past five years.
The power sector leads growth, now the largest energy employer, fueled by solar PV, nuclear, grid, and storage expansions. Electrification is also driving demand, with nearly 800,000 jobs added in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing in 2024. The report highlights skilled labour bottlenecks, citing cost, lost wages, and limited awareness of training programmes as barriers, and recommends financial incentives, apprenticeships, private-sector curriculum input, and reskilling initiatives to ensure the sector can meet rising demand.