Rapid job growth in Canada’s Energy Industry
Experts expect that there is a significant potential for job growth in the green sector even as Canada focuses on energy transition. Most of the transition in this case will be focused on the energy sector but challenges will undoubtedly be posed by the rapid pace at which growth and change happen in this particular context. During 2020 the number of people employed in the Canadian workforce shrank on an average but in the green jobs sector, there was a net gain of 35,000 jobs. This is astounding when you consider that this happened during a pandemic! Research says that by 2025 there will be a bit higher than 5% growth across the labor force.
However, when it comes to green jobs there will be an increase of 17% and this includes the energy sector as well.
What does CEC (Clean Energy Canada) say?
CEC says that compared to 2023 the clean energy workforce in the North American country is expected to grow from 430,500 employees to 639,200 by 2030. This represents an increase of almost 50%. In the same period, the fossil fuel sector is estimated to lose around 125,000 jobs which is pegged at 9%. There will also be an explosion of green jobs in various sectors. The most prominent among them are the likes of transport, climate adaptations, housing, and aquaculture. Estimates have shown that in the next few years, there will be around 170,000 job openings in the green sector.
What are the experts saying?
Experts say that in Canada green jobs are growing at a quicker rate than the overall rate of employment. A significant part of the growth has happened because of the changes happening in the domain of government policy as well as efforts by private citizens and NGOs (non-governmental organizations). All these efforts are driving the demand for jobs at all levels. This includes technical jobs such as engineers, climatologists, and scientists; trades jobs such as heavy equipment operators, electricians, and carpenters, and people in the realm of policy-making such as ones who work in communications between various sectors and the indigenous communities of Canada.
Focus of transition on the energy sector
A lot of the transition in this case will be focused on the energy sector and this includes the infrastructure and the workforce. The Canadian government is already creating policies to meet the climate change commitments that it made in the Paris Agreement.
Need for training in green skills
RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) has emphasized that this will necessitate a productive workforce that is also trained in green skills. They will come in handy when it comes to implementing climate technology solutions that are already there and coming up with new ones. This will also be a critical point in terms of attracting the amount of private capital that is necessary for funding the energy transition. The bank estimates that 2 trillion dollars will be needed in the next 30 years for this to happen. This is further important because other countries are also competing for financial resources in this regard.
They are looking for capital that helps them transition their economies and, in the process, cater to the clean energy solutions market that is always proliferating. This is why there is such a need for a skilled workforce to create a net-zero economy in Canada.
Need for well-designed programs to equip workers for forging long-term careers
CEC says that in 2020 over 430,000 people were employed in green jobs. On top of that, it predicts that by 2030 the number of people working environmental sustainability and protection jobs will increase by over 50% of the 2020 figure. It is expected that in this period there will be an annual growth of 3.4% in this sector. This is almost 400% greater than the estimated average job growth in Canada during the same period. In this context, green skills training is an important component, according to experts, for developing the future workforce.
If companies and workers can collaborate it can create a win-win situation for all the stakeholders. As per a recent report from the Business Council of Canada says that different sectors of the national economy will change structurally even as the transition to net zero happens. This means that they will have to develop cleaner and more resilient growth models. They will also have to hire new talent that possesses a broader understanding of the impacts that climate change. Taking these steps will help these companies unlock opportunities in the days ahead.
