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A recent report by the Global Wind Organization (GWO) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has predicted the number of technicians needed to construct, install, operate and maintain wind farms by 2027.
The report presents opportunities for local and national governments to further promote renewable energy development to increase opportunities for employment training and capacity building, and to build a skilled labour force for the energy transition.
Projected job growth in wind energy by 2027
According to the Global Wind Workforce Outlook for 2023-27, we will require more than 574,000 technicians for the construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of wind power plants by 2027.
However, to keep up with this growth, the industry will need to incorporate approximately 43% of new workers into the labor force. These workers will either join the education and recruitment pipeline or transfer from other sectors such as offshore oil and gas.
The experts predict that the annual installation of wind power plants is likely to double from 78 GW in 2022 to 155 GW in 2027. This predicted increase will escalate the total global wind energy capacity to over 1500 GW within the next five years.
The Outlook is predicting a 17% rise in the number of technicians necessary for constructing, installing, operating, and maintaining wind farms over the next 5 years. The reasons for this include innovative technological advances and the rapid expansion of the offshore wind energy market.
The wind energy sector will need 84,600 additional technicians to help with its expansion. However, considering the typical 6% attrition rate, the wind energy industry will have to recruit 159,200 additional technicians between 2023 and 2027 to replace those who naturally leave the sector.
The fact that there is a need to recruit an additional 243,800 new technicians over the next 5 years demonstrates the vast opportunities available in the wind energy sector for new talent from other sectors, including the traditional sector. This also underscores wind energy's collaborative role in a just and equitable energy transition from fossil fuels.
The Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2023-2027 stresses the urgent need to ramp up safety and technical training capacity to address anticipated supply chain gaps in the wind energy sector.
Global Wind Energy Workforce Focus
Jacob Lao Holst, CEO of the Global Wind Organization, said, "Policymakers, industry organizations, and employers prioritize developing the workforce. The GWO/GWEC Global Wind Workforce Outlook not only demonstrates the global growth of the wind energy industry, but also emphasizes the number of people needed for installation and maintenance".
He further added, "It further shows how many of these people will be entering the field for the first time. This demands a renewed focus on initiating capacity building at an early stage. It identifies the needs of the sector, aligning them with the needs of employers, and integrating with the existing capabilities of individuals from other sectors and education systems."
The report outlines the developmental and workforce requirements for wind energy onshore and offshore in 10 countries; Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Japan, Kenya, South Korea and the United States are notably the top ones.
A strong health and safety culture and a trained labour force must underpin these countries' high wind energy ambitions. This is necessary to ensure the continued support of wind energy for climate and energy goals, contributing to modern and sustainable economies worldwide.
How many technicians require standard training for global wind energy capacity?
By the end of 2027, the global wind energy capacity will have roughly doubled the level before the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching around 1581 GW. Consequently, we expect the number of technicians receiving training in this field to increase by 17 per cent, going from 489,600 in the year 2022 to 574,200 in the year 2027. We can also expect the number of new technicians in the wind energy sector to rise annually by an average of 48,800 between 2023 and 2027.
What's GWO training availability gap for the projected labor force?
By the end of 2022, 145,000 technicians, or 30% of the projected workforce, will have obtained a valid GWO work certificate. This means that the wind energy industry will need to train 4292 00 new technicians between 2023 and 2027. More than 80% of these technicians will find jobs in Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, and America.
How can GWO training enhance teachers' wind energy workforce security?
Technicians in the wind energy sector will increase their total workforce faster in the offshore sector (79% more in 2027 than 2022) than onshore (12% more in 2027 than 2022). By the year 2027, technicians will make up 87% of the workforce working in the operations and management category of the coastal wind energy sector.
Does the forecast satisfy wind energy labor needs?
The model we use for this Outlook focuses on the construction, installation, operation and maintenance areas of a wind farm. It doesn't calculate manpower needs in other parts of the project life cycle which include research and development, procurement, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, decommissioning and revitalization.
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