IEA Report: Clean Energy Jobs and UK Recruitment Trends
On this page
Clean energy jobs are reshaping the global energy workforce — global energy employment reached 76 million in 2024, with clean energy roles continuing to outpace fossil fuels in job creation.
UK recruiters see high demand in solar, wind, EVs, and heat pump projects, but skills shortages and training gaps remain.
Specialist recruitment and workforce development are essential to meet the growing clean energy jobs demand.
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Employment 2025 report highlights strong growth in global energy sector employment, driven by clean energy investments — up 2.2% year-on-year, nearly double the rate of the wider global economy.
Clean energy continues to account for the majority of new energy jobs globally, with the fastest growth seen in solar PV, wind, EVs and batteries, heat pumps, and critical minerals mining.
Global Employment Trends in Clean Energy Jobs
Total energy employment reached 76 million in 2024, up more than 5 million since 2019. The sector has contributed 2.4% of all net jobs created across the global economy over that period — in China, energy has accounted for roughly one in five new jobs, and in the US, roughly one in ten.
Fossil fuel jobs have largely recovered from pandemic-era losses, though 2025 has seen renewed uncertainty and some job cuts linked to volatile oil prices. Clean energy jobs, by contrast, keep growing steadily worldwide, with China leading in absolute numbers and other regions following suit.
Skills Shortages and Workforce Challenges
- High demand exists for skilled workers in solar, wind, EVs, heat pumps, and critical minerals roles.
- More than half of the 700+ energy companies, unions and training institutions surveyed by the IEA reported critical hiring bottlenecks threatening to slow infrastructure delivery.
- Training programmes are lagging behind growth, especially for vocational and STEM-qualified workers — the IEA estimates energy-related training intake needs to grow by around 40% by 2030 to keep pace.
- Retraining in fossil fuel companies is helping some workers transition to low-emissions roles, but gaps remain.
An ageing workforce compounds the problem. In advanced economies, there are now 2.4 workers nearing retirement for every worker under 25 entering the sector, meaning two out of every three new hires by 2035 will simply be replacing retirees rather than adding net capacity.
Implications for UK Clean Energy Jobs Recruitment
UK recruiters report strong demand for Project Managers, Project Engineers, Operations Managers, Wind Turbine Technicians, and Control Systems Engineers.
Specialist recruitment partners are crucial for matching high-calibre candidates to growing clean energy jobs and overcoming skills shortages across solar, wind, BESS and EV infrastructure projects. Our guides to battery energy storage jobs UK-wide and offshore wind recruitment UK cover two of the fastest-growing areas in more detail.
For employers, this data reinforces a simple point: clean energy jobs are growing faster than the training pipeline can currently fill them. Organisations that invest early in workforce planning and specialist recruitment partnerships will be better positioned than those competing reactively once a shortage has already hit their project timeline.