If you’re interested in a career, or are already working in the energy sector, it’s vital to understand the wider context and what factors are shaping industry needs and roles within different types of organisations.  

The energy sector is global and there are many different types of roles, in a range of different organisations. As reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA) “The energy sector employed over 65 million people in 2019, equivalent to around 2% of global employment” (World Energy Employment). 

Central to the digital energy transition is both the creation of new roles and ensuring that all employees – whatever their role – have the digital knowledge and skills for their jobs. For example, the IEA’s Net Zero by 2050 report predicts that “The transition to net zero brings substantial new opportunities for employment, with 14 million jobs created by 2030 [globally]… thanks to new activities and investment in clean energy.”  

As we integrate more digital technologies into our working lives, some jobs are also impacted by automation. Konstantinos Pouliakas explores some of these estimates in Automation risk in the EU labour market: A skills-needed approach, which reveals that “About 14% of EU adult workers are found to face a very high risk of automation.” Elsewhere, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimate that across 38 OECD member countries, including many European countries, “…occupations at the highest risk of automation account for about 28% of jobs.” (Future of Work). While estimates show a substantial impact on many EU workers, for many workers increased digitalisation means job enrichment and task expansion, which requires substantial digital and other up- and re-skilling. As we will also see in this week of the course, transversal or soft skills (such as good communication and the ability to collaborate) are also vital for both technical and non-technical roles. 

Whilst there are skills gaps for both technical and non-technical roles in jobs connected to the digital energy transition, the European Union is actively supporting up- or re-skilling. We will also take a closer look at what activities and policies are helping ensure that everyone is ready to engage with these new roles and industries in this week of the course.