Digital technologies are set to play a key role in the transition to more secure and sustainable energy systems, fostering greater connectivity, efficiency, reliability and emissions reductions. New digital tools – such as those that can help match power supply with demand; predict and detect faults in networks; or give greater control to consumers – will enable the faster integration of renewables, improve grid stability and unlock greater energy savings. However, the pace of digitalisation will depend heavily on the energy sector’s ability to build a workforce with the right skills.

The number of digital roles across the energy sector has picked up globally. Yet there is growing evidence that it remains broadly insufficient, inhibiting greater investment in digitalisation. Moreover, 44% of Europeans do not have basic digital skills. With most jobs set to require digital skills in the coming years, energy utilities will increasingly be competing for a limited pool of qualified workers to bridge the sector's skills gap. This will require stronger and more cohesive digital hiring strategies and training efforts. 

Digitalisation is a long-standing megatrend that has already had a transformative labour market impact. In recent decades, the IT sector has expanded and become increasingly strategically important; digital skills and the capacity to work with digital tools have become transversal requirements in almost all types of jobs. The digital transition will continue to impact employment across sectors, with demand in the telecommunications and the computer programming sectors expected to grow in most Member States. 

Emerging digital skill needs transcend sectors, occupations and qualification levels. With an increase in the use of digital technologies across all sectors, the knowledge-based economy concept has become more strongly connected to digitalisation. The expanding capacity and application of digital technologies have set the EU on course for more fundamental transformation. Going beyond driving product, process and service innovation, currently available digital technology (e.g. cloud-based solutions, sensor-enabled data collection and analysis, and machine learning) enables better and more informed decision-making. 

Digitalisation and innovation policy and funding will contribute substantially to the digital transformation in the EU. The European Commission’s Digital Decade policy programme aims at a secure and sustainable transformation by 2030. It sets ambitious targets to be achieved by then: 20 million ICT specialists, 80% or more of the population having basic digital skills, and 3 in 4 EU companies using cloud and/or artificial intelligence. Policy development and implementation aimed at reaching these targets will likely significantly boost employment in occupations where high-level digital skills are required. 

The Large-scale Skills Partnership (LSP) on the Digitalisation of the Energy System is an initiative from Pact for Skills to “…contribute to building a digitally-skilled workforce by fostering collaboration between training providers, energy sector companies, and digital technology firms.” Education for Digitalisation of Energy (EDDIE) coordinates this important initiative.