Talent is Migrating from Oil to Renewables
As oil companies stay lean, workers are making the move to renewable energy across the US. Oil and gas companies laid off roughly 160,000 workers in 2020, and they have maintained tight budgets and hired cautiously over the last two years. On the flip side, many renewable energy companies across solar, wind, geothermal, battery and…
Oil and gas companies laid off roughly 160,000 workers in 2020, and they have maintained tight budgets and hired cautiously over the last two years. On the flip side, many renewable energy companies across solar, wind, geothermal, battery and alternative-energy businesses have been expanding rapidly.
While it can be hard to track movements in employment statistics, the overall numbers suggest such career moves are becoming more common. The oil and gas industry had roughly 700,000 fewer workers in 2022 than six years earlier, a decline of over 20 percent.
Much of that drop had to do with the slowing of the shale drilling boom and greater automation. By comparison, employment in wind energy grew nearly 20 percent from 2016 to 2021, to more than 113,000 workers.
Many workers, including electricians, offshore construction engineers, information technology specialists and environmental surveyors, say the skills they honed at their oil and gas jobs have translated well to the work they are doing in the renewable sector.
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