Want to Work in the Energy Sector? These Are The Jobs That Will Really Matter Over the Next Ten Years

Energy sector jobs are always in demand. As a country’s economy grows, so too does its demand for energy. Combine that with the need to transition to renewable energy sources and it’s no surprise that the energy sector now offers a wide range of sustainable jobs.

That said, the green transition certainly doesn’t come without its casualties, and as new jobs are created, old ones disappear. Before starting your career, it’s very important to research which energy jobs are future-proof and which ones aren’t. That’s the question we’ll be seeking to answer today as we take a deep dive into the energy sector jobs that will matter most over the next ten years.

It’s All About Sustainability

The most important thing to understand about energy sector jobs in the coming years is that sustainable energy is the key. Sustainable energy means sustainable jobs.

While the exact timeline for our green transition is a matter of much debate, there’s no doubt that, sooner or later we’re going to have to say goodbye to fossil fuels. As we do so, many of the jobs required for the energy sector are likely to shift. Primary and secondary sector jobs (blue collar) will inevitably give way to tertiary and quaternary (white collar) work. The value of specific training and skills is only going to increase.

Why is this?

Well, fossil fuels require harvesting. Broadly speaking these jobs tend to be high in manual labour but don’t usually require degrees. Green energy sources such as wind and solar tend to operate largely autonomously with far fewer jobs required to keep them running. Even nuclear power – which does still require fuel in the form of fissionable materials – creates at least as many white collar jobs as it does blue collar ones.

All told the green transition demands a shift to a more skilled workforce. In practice that means those looking to work in the energy sector should start preparing sooner, putting a solid career plan in place. For the most part, the energy jobs of tomorrow will be specialised and those looking to work in the sector will need specialist qualifications to match.

The Future of Fossil Fuels

It’s worth noting that while fossil fuel jobs are certainly disappearing and will continue to do so, the industry probably won’t vanish altogether. Even following a green transition, fossil fuels do have some unique advantages that are very hard to replace. If you currently work in a fossil fuel related field, understanding these advantages will help in preparing for the future.

Unlike most renewable energy sources, burning fossil fuels produces a stable, consistent, and predictable amount of power. While nuclear power can largely fulfil this requirement, nuclear power takes time to startup and switch off and requires a lot of infrastructure.

At the very least, it’s likely that some of the current fossil fuel jobs will remain for emergency backup power systems. That said, fossil fuels themselves such as coal and oil, will almost certainly be replaced with biomass. Although biomass burning does create carbon emissions, it is entirely renewable so is therefore preferable to coal.

When all’s said and done, if you’re looking to work in the energy sector you’re still far better placed looking for a clean energy job. But which jobs should you be looking at?

The Best Energy Sector Jobs

The energy sector is a huge industry with demand for jobs in just about every field. If you’re just starting out your career and you’re passionate about working in energy then the safest fields to go into are those with a long established role in the grid like nuclear, wind, and solar.

These are jobs where the demand already exists and is likely to go up a lot over the next few decades. From a career’s perspective, this industry is something of a unicorn, offering genuine job security and a predictable rise in demand.

So with that being said, which job roles should you be looking at if you’re planning to work in the energy sector?

The answer to that question depends a lot on your skillset and interests. Modern energy sector jobs tend to fall into one of three categories: research and development, construction/infrastructure, and maintenance. To better understand your possible career path, let’s take a look at each in turn.

Research & Development

R&D is where many of the most exciting future energy jobs will appear but it’s also where you’ll find the most risk. Governments and private companies are currently pouring money into technologies that will either improve renewable energy production or help to eliminate remaining emissions. As with all investment it’s a gamble to find out which technologies will be world-changing and which will be forgotten.

For example, while nuclear fission (splitting atoms) has been central to energy grids for decades now, nuclear fusion (fusing atoms together) has the potential to release more energy with far less waste. In theory this would not only be a more efficient energy source but it would also side-step one nuclear’s most controversial aspects. Without nuclear waste, there’s far less chance of public opposition. This is a lot more appealing to investors.

Unfortunately, while fusion power works, the technology has not yet reached a stage where it could be implemented on a national stage. As such, governments and companies alike are racing to find ways of making it work, creating countless new jobs in the process.

Of course, nuclear energy is far from the only area of research. For those with science backgrounds – particularly physics – R&D roles could come in all shapes and sizes. You could be working in a lab or university or else as a specialist consultant for large energy companies. If you have a strong technical background, it’s possible to find a well paid and sustainable job.

That said, many of these roles do require both a graduate and post graduate degree and are often highly competitive. It’s the kind of role where you have to make a choice early on and stick to it throughout your higher education.

Construction/Infrastructure

While renewable energy systems can run autonomously once built, they often require a huge amount of work upfront. Wind turbines, solar farms, battery arrays and new transmission lines need to be designed, manufactured, transported and installed. This means construction remains one of the biggest areas of new job creation in the energy sector.

Construction jobs are often ideal for people who prefer hands-on work or who enjoy physical outdoor roles. They’re also central to many of the UK’s energy infrastructure jobs, as the country invests in new grid capacity and renewable construction.

If you’re looking for more blue-collar style jobs then construction and infrastructure is where you’re likely to find them. Even still many of these jobs do require specialist qualification so be sure to carefully research the specific path you’re looking to go down.

While the necessary skills are too job specific for us to provide details about every role, as a rule you’ll be looking at engineering and technician qualifications. Some of these jobs will require a degree while others can be approached via an apprenticeship route. 

Maintenance and Operations

Although, as previously noted, renewable energy sources do tend to be more autonomous in their operations than non-renewables, maintenance and operations still require a fairly large workforce.

Once an energy facility is up and running, maintenance becomes the central priority. Renewable and sustainable power systems must operate safely and consistently, and the infrastructure that supports them must be monitored and continually updated. As a result, these are some of the most stable sustainable jobs because as long as an asset is in use it will need maintenance.

Furthermore, there’s often a level of sunk cost fallacy on the part of investors. Energy assets are expensive and even if they’re not operating as hoped, governments and investors are far more likely to persevere once money has been sunk into a project than when it’s still in the research phase. That’s why operations jobs are some of the safest in the entire industry.

One of the big advantages of energy maintenance as a career is that there are lots of entry level roles. There’s also plenty of room to progress for those with more experience who are looking to get into highly skilled/technical positions. It’s also a great field for those who enjoy practical problem solving in a real-world context.

Other Roles in the Energy Sector

Up until now, we’ve focused largely on roles that require industry-specific training as these make up the majority of energy sector roles. That said, they’re certainly not the only careers in energy. So before we wrap up, let’s take a quick look through some of the other jobs you can work in this industry and the skillsets that might come in handy.

Policy, planning, and regulation require all sorts of skills outside of those you might traditionally associate with the energy sector. From legal expertise to project management and even basic admin, if you have a specialist skill – even if it has nothing to do with the energy sector – there’s probably a role out there for you.

In fact, in some ways these jobs are more sustainable because they’re less tied to one specific technology. An expert in the legal side of nuclear energy will have a much easier time transitioning to solar or wind than a nuclear technician will.

And then there’s data analysis. Even if you have no knowledge of the energy sector, any background in data can be hugely valuable. The energy sector relies on being able to make accurate predictions that are grounded in data and statistical analysis.

They need countless predictions about energy consumption as well as predictions about how much they can generate. They need to know how seasonal events and weather patterns could influence demand. And that’s before you even get into all the ways data analysts can help to improve grid efficiency.

If you’re an IT specialist then there’s demand for everything from cybersecurity to software development. A country’s energy sector is one massive interconnected web of organisations and it takes a lot of IT staff to keep that running.

Last but certainly not least, energy companies still have many of the same hiring needs as other companies. They need HR teams, marketing departments, and accountants just as much as everyone else. If you have skills in one of these areas then it’s well worth looking into energy sector roles. Energy is an evergreen industry afterall and you’re not likely to find this level of job stability anywhere else.

Final Thoughts

If it sounds like we’re saying anyone can work in the energy sector then, in a sense, that’s because we are. Of course, geography does play a huge part in the jobs you can apply for but if you don’t mind relocating for work and all you care about is long term stability, then you should seriously consider a job in renewable energy – no matter your specialisation.

If you’re yet to specialise and you want to focus on the most in demand jobs, then we would recommend engineering roles in nuclear, wind, or solar. While it is possible that an up and coming technology could take a large share of the market, for the time being it’s pretty clear that these jobs aren’t going anywhere and that the demand is only likely to increase over time.