The second edition of the World Energy Employment (WEE) report was published during a period of significant change in the global energy sector. Over the past three years, the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread layoffs, including in the energy industry. Following this, the global energy crisis prompted governments to implement urgent measures to ensure energy security, including substantial financial support for clean energy.
Clean energy investment has seen a significant increase, growing by 40% over the past two years. This has created strong demand for workers in clean sectors. However, the fragile global economic recovery and new geopolitical uncertainties continue to impact the outlook for the industry and its workforce.
The WEE 2023 report tracks employment trends across the entire energy supply chain—from fuel to technology, sector, and region—through this tumultuous period. It also provides an outlook for energy employment needs by sector across IEA scenarios, highlighting key policies that can help countries develop and maintain a skilled workforce during the transition.
As of 2022, more people are working in the energy sector compared to 2019, primarily due to growth in clean energy sectors. Clean energy employment reached nearly 67 million in 2022, up by 3.4 million from pre-pandemic levels. These sectors added 4.7 million jobs globally, bringing the total to 35 million. In contrast, fossil fuel employment has recovered more slowly, remaining around 1.3 million below pre-pandemic levels at 32 million.
In 2021, clean energy employment surpassed that of fossil fuels. More than half of the job growth in this period is attributed to just five sectors: solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency in buildings and industry.
This summary highlights the evolving landscape of the energy workforce, emphasizing the shift towards clean energy and the challenges and opportunities presented by this transition.