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14 April, 2026The International Energy Agency (IEA) has launched a new set of surveys on employment and skills in the energy sector, and is calling on workers, trade unions, employers, educators and policymakers to respond before the 15 May 2026 deadline.
The results will feed into the World Energy Employment 2026 report, an annual study that tracks the global energy workforce and shapes recommendations read by governments and employers worldwide.
Why your response matters
Last year’s World Energy Employment 2025 report drew on responses from more than 700 energy firms, trade unions and educators across the IEA’s annual Energy Employment Survey. The findings painted a clear picture of a sector under pressure.
The energy sector is growing fast. In 2024, it employed 76 million people worldwide, up more than 5 million since 2019 and created jobs at nearly double the rate of the wider economy.
But that growth is running into a serious obstacle: an increasing shortage of skilled workers. In a separate IEA survey of over 400 energy companies in 2025, around 60 per cent reported hiring difficulties due to skills and labour shortages. Applied technical roles like electricians, grid line workers, solar PV installersand welders and pipefitters are the hardest to fill, accounting for more than half of the total energy workforce yet facing the highest shortages.
The IEA’s Labour Employment Survey asked workers and their representatives directly what makes a job worth taking. The answers were clear: fair pay (90 per cent of respondents), employment security (73 per cent) and a safe working environment (71 per cent). Yet only 35 per cent of workers surveyed classified clean energy jobs as quality jobs with both good working conditions and good pay, a gap that unions and employers must urgently address.
The workforce is also ageing. In advanced economies, there are 2.4 workers within ten years of retirement for every worker under the age of 25. In nuclear and grid roles specifically, that ratio rises to 1.7 and 1.4 respectively. Between now and 2035, two out of every three new hires will be needed simply to replace retiring workers.
Closing the skills gap will require urgent and coordinated action. The IEA estimates that the number of new graduates entering the energy sector would need to rise by around 40 per cent globally by 2030, at a cost of roughly US$2.6 billion per year, less than 0.1 per cent of global public education spending.
These are the issues the 2026 surveys are designed to address. The more responses the IEA receives, the stronger the evidence base, and the stronger the case for policies that put workers at the centre of the energy transition.
“The energy transition is reshaping millions of jobs around the world. For that transition to be just, workers and unions must be at the table, not only when decisions are made, but when the evidence is gathered. I encourage everyone in the energy sector to take a few minutes to respond to this survey and make their voice count,”
said Diana Junquera Curiel, director of industrial policy, IndustriALL Global Union
Which survey is for me?
The IEA has launched four surveys, each targeting a different audience. Find yours below and share the links widely with your networks.
Workers and trade union representatives
- English: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/labour
- French: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/LabourFR
- Spanish: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/LabourES
For shop stewards, work council representatives, national trade union officers and workers in the energy sector.
Policymakers
- English: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/policymakers
- French: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/PolicyFR
- Spanish: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/PolicymakersES
For public institutions involved in energy, labour, skills or education policy, including ministries, national skills agencies and other governmental bodies.
Educators
- English: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/educators
- French: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/EducatorsFR
- Spanish: https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/EducatorsES
For universities, TVET providers, in-house trainers in energy companies, NGOs and trade unions who deliver training or vocational education.
Energy industry (English only)
For energy companies, supply chain firms and those with responsibility for hiring and workforce planning.
Share your best practice
In addition to the surveys, the IEA is collecting examples of policies, initiatives and case studies through its new Employment and Skills Policy and Case Study Tracker. If your organization has developed a programme worth sharing, submit it here, it could be featured in the World Energy Employment 2026 report.
- Policy and Case Study Tracker: Submit here
All surveys close on 15 May 2026. Please share these links widely with your union networks, colleagues and contacts in the sector. Every response strengthens the evidence for a just, people-centred energy transition.
