In a paradox that’s plain for all to see, just as the energy transition is picking up pace, the world risks falling behind in the exact arena where it can’t afford to. It’s not due to a lack of capital, technology or political objectives, but to a shortage of something far more concrete yet less visible: skills. This is the message of the World Energy Employment 2025 report from the International Energy Agency: an analysis that depicts a sector in which employment is growing, even as it struggles with deeper and deeper structural imbalances.
In 2024, the energy sector employed 76 million people worldwide with a growth rate nearly double that for the rest of the global economy. Over 5 million new jobs have been created since 2019, largely driven by areas concerning electricity grids, renewables, electric mobility and energy efficiency. Yet the IEA warns that this boom may become a bottleneck, if decisive action is not taken in terms of training.
IEA study calls for greater training and investments in the workforce to support energy development. 40% more qualified workers will be needed by 2030, a commitment of 2.6 billion dollars per year.
The struggle to find the right people for a growing sector. According to research carried out by IEA on over 700 energy firms, six companies out of ten report that they have difficulty in finding qualified personnel. This does not just apply to engineers or to highly specialised roles, but also and especially to the “intermediate” figures without whom no infrastructure can be built, managed or maintained: electricians, grid technicians, welders, installers and plant operators. This is a structural challenge: more than half of the global energy workforce is employed in so-called applied technical roles, a share more than twice the average across the economy as a whole. And it is precisely in these roles that demand is outstripping supply. Between 2015 and 2022, demand for these profiles increased by 16%, while the number of graduates and qualified workers emerging from vocational and technical education programmes grew by only 9%. The gap is set to widen further: to keep pace with current targets, the number of newly trained entrants would need to increase by more than 40% by 2030.
The transition as a stress test for labour. The energy transition is not just a technological turning point, but a real stress test for the global labour market. Electricity grids in particular are emerging as one of the most critical areas. The IEA has warned that the lack of qualified personnel is already slowing down the construction of new transmission and distribution infrastructure, even as the electrification of consumption and the spread of renewables demand unprecedented expansion in said infrastructure. The problem is compounded by a demographic factor: the energy sector is, on average, older than the rest of the economy. In key areas such as grids and nuclear, there are more than 1.4 workers approaching retirement age for each young recruit. From the present date until 2035, two out of every three new hires will be needed simply to replace those exiting the labour market. The consequences can already be seen: delays in projects, rising costs, a greater reliance on subcontracting, risks to the quality and security of the plants. In some cases, the IEA warns, poor installation or maintenance can drastically reduce the performance of the technologies, which can in turn undermine citizens’ confidence in the transition too.
Skills as a cultural challenge. The report from the International Energy Agency emphasises a point which is frequently overlooked: training is not just a question of quantity; in fact, where and how skills are imparted also counts. Today, over half of the skills required for entry-level positions are acquired directly while on the job. This may be a sign of flexibility, but it also reveals fragility, as over-fragmented systems risk creating closed pools of skills and limiting labour mobility. The IEA invites governments and companies to move past the idea of more and more new and separate certifications for every technology, and to focus instead on transferable skills, continuous updates and a tight integration between education systems and industry. The estimated cost of bridging the global training gap — approximately 2.6 billion dollars per year — is negligible when considered in the context of total public spending on education. However, the return on this investment in terms of energy security and competitiveness would be enormous.
Some solutions: targeted policies, incentives for students, professional reskilling. Political measures can make a huge difference. In fact, according to the study, the main obstacles preventing people from undertaking training courses in the energy sphere consist of costs, lost wages, and low awareness of the programmes available. Effective political tools include targeted financial incentives for students, an expansion of apprenticeships, greater involvement of the private sector in designing study programmes and investments in training structures. Professional reskilling within the energy sector is also essential. For instance, while employment in the fossil fuel sector is already falling in certain parts of the world, targeted professional retraining could help workers to transfer into other areas of the energy system which are growing.
Terna takes the initiative to foster skills in young people. Investing in training is one of the crucial pillars for tackling the energy and digital twin transition. Terna, the company that manages Italy’s national electricity transmission grid, has already taken various steps intended to encourage the development of skills among young people, providing them with the tools necessary to chart out their future careers. One example is the collaboration with the Higher Technical Institute ITS Green Academy, with which Terna has launched a two-year course entitled “Grids, Plants and Energy Systems”. The course, which began in November 2025, aims to train highly qualified figures with a specialisation in energy production systems, the management of energy plants and modern electricity grids. Moreover, the two-year period will include in-depth looks at fundamental aspects related to the transformation, storage, transport and distribution of energy, which make up the heart of the energy supply chain. Students will combine theoretical and practical lessons with workshop activities and experiences within the company itself.