This story is part of a selection of our top news from 2025 that we’re republishing during the holiday break. We’ll be back to our regular schedule in the new year.
The energy sector is undergoing a profound transformation, with fossil fuel employment in Canada shrinking to a mere fraction of the workforce. Meanwhile, globally, energy jobs are booming, outpacing other sectors for the third consecutive year, as revealed by two significant reports released earlier this year.
In Canada, fossil fuel jobs have decreased by 38,000 over the past five years, primarily in upstream oil and gas, even as oil production surged by 35% and natural gas by 24%, according to the Centre for Future Work. The Vancouver-based organization stated in a release that this trend is driven by various factors beyond climate policy, including new technologies, economic changes, resource depletion, and corporate strategies.
The Canadian Fossil Fuel Employment Landscape
The Centre for Future Work’s 95-page report concludes that:
- The decline in fossil fuel jobs is happening independently of national climate policies.
- The current pace suggests a complete phaseout of fossil fuels by 2050.
- Most fossil fuel workers are expected to reach retirement age by then.
- Interviews indicate that workers anticipate the industry’s decline but believe the transition can be managed without mass job losses.
- Federal transition efforts have been more aspirational than effective.
- Transition planning is vague, except for the 2030 coal phase-out mandate.
Jim Stanford, co-author and director of the Centre for Future Work, confirmed, “This long-term decline is set to continue for many reasons, not solely or mostly climate policy. New technologies, economic forces, resource depletion, and corporate outsourcing strategies are all eliminating fossil fuel jobs.”
Global Energy Employment Trends
Globally, the energy sector is thriving, as reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA). For the third year running, energy job growth has outstripped that of the broader economy, with the workforce reaching 76 million. The IEA reported a 2.2% increase in energy jobs, driven by robust investment in energy infrastructure.
The IEA highlighted:
- Photovoltaic solar was pivotal, contributing to half the job growth in the electricity sector since 2019.
- Most power sector jobs were in low-emission generation, grids, or storage.
- Nuclear power, grids, and storage accounted for 25% of new power sector jobs.
- Offshore wind faced a 6% job decline due to challenges in turbine manufacturing.
- Electric vehicle manufacturing jobs grew by 800,000, with China leading in EV and battery employment.
- Oil and gas have mostly recovered pandemic-related job losses but face new retrenchment due to lower prices.
- Coal jobs rose by 8% in India, China, and Indonesia between 2019 and 2024.
The IEA’s annual Energy Employment Survey identified skilled worker shortages as a major issue, with over half of respondents citing hiring bottlenecks and an aging workforce. The report noted a scarcity in applied technical roles such as electricians, pipefitters, and engineers, particularly in nuclear energy, which are already in short supply across the economy.
Original Story at www.theenergymix.com