17th October 2022|Company Updates
Should you get a job in renewable energy?
Before we dive into the topic of HOW or IF to get a job in renewable energy, we recommend you read our previous article about why the energy sector may be the new tech.
Now, without a further ado, let’s dive into it.
As society is becoming more aware of the issues of unsustainable practices in (not only) energy industry, the pressure on creating a ‘greener’ planet (in this context ‘more sustainable business practices’) grows. At the same time, with increasing demand for a wider range of sustainable and eco-friendly products from the consumer side, the workforce is also getting more conscious about their career choices. As a result, many job seekers nowadays want to make sure that the career choices they make won’t negatively impact society or the climate in any way. Fortunately, there are some great businesses and industries which won’t make you feel guilty simply for working there, and which do something that is both useful and essential for society to function, too.
Energy companies
Energy is necessary for the functioning of society – we need energy companies and power plants all day long for charging our phones, using lighting at home, and heating our homes. As concerns over sustainability practices in the energy industry have arisen, more and more organizations are turning to renewable energy sources instead.
Due to the demand for electricity increasing year over year, and with the fast adoption of electric vehicles (EV) and solar panels being used for both commercial and personal purposes, some go as far as being worried about the current electricity production coming from renewable energy sources not being enough in the upcoming years. This in turn has resulted in more renewable-energy projects and powerplants being approved in the global pipeline. Essentially, this also means more jobs in the renewable energy industry (apply for our latest energy jobs with us!).
According to Forbes, energy jobs rose 4% in 2021 and resulted in over 300,000 jobs being added to the 7.8 million energy-related jobs in total. Especially clean energy has shown to be hiring faster than the US national average, and it’s paying above-average wages. This makes it a win-win career choice especially for Millennials and Gen Z who are known for their concern about companies adhering to environmental and sustainability standards.
Which energy sector is the fastest growing
Now, you may be asking ‘’But what sector of energy industry is the best to get into right now? Surely, they aren’t growing at the same rate?’’ and you are absolutely correct. While fuel and coal fuel sector jobs tumbled, together with the petroleum sector which lost 31,600 jobs amounting for the biggest loss across all energy sectors, the electric power generation led by solar and wind sector grew by 2.9%.
The fastest growing jobs in the renewable energy sector? Hybrid electric, battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing and carbon-reducing jobs which have grown by 25% collectively in 2021. Also, motor vehicle and component parts manufacturing were the only sub-category of energy jobs which did not experience a decline in 2020 due to COVID. This may be great news for both white- and blue-collar workers looking to either increase their income, or to change the industry in which they work altogether. As mentioned earlier in this article, jobs in the fuel sector have been in a decline and this may be enough reason for some workers to change their career trajectory. Especially when jobs such as solar-panel cleaners, housing-insulation specialists or wind-turbine climbers have been on the rise constantly in the last couple of years.
It will be interesting to see how workers approach these changes in the energy sector, and how fast they will be able to master the skills required for the newly established positions in order to get a job in renewable energy.
What are your personal thoughts on this? Will you be applying for new jobs in the renewable energy instead?
Job in a renewable energy
If you are still looking to get a job in the renewable energy, get in touch with Louise or Lewis for their newest job opportunities from the wind energy sector across the UK and US.
Are you more interested in jobs in the nuclear energy sector? Then Charlie is the right person to talk to.
Or maybe you would fancy a job in the solar energy? James will be happy to share the newest jobs with you, just drop him a DM ?.
If you’re not actively searching for a new job but would still like to get notified if a relevant opportunity came up, please submit your CV and we will be in touch in due course.
To learn more about the energy industry and how we help energy companies carry out new projects and outsource talent, click here.
