Energy Sector Employment Hits Five-Year High with Predominantly Male Workforce
Randstad Research, the labor market and human resources analysis center of the Randstad Group Spain, has released its report "Labor Market in the Energy Sector" for the first quarter of 2024. The report reveals a 13.3% increase in sector employment compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 97,960 employees, the highest level in the past five years.
The report does not specify what percentage of these jobs are related to renewable energy. According to data from the Social Security, the energy sector is presented as a single category without a breakdown by energy type. However, the Annual Report by the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) from September 2023 indicated that the solar sector employed 197,383 people in Spain in 2022, including 59,100 direct, 97,600 indirect, and 40,683 induced jobs.
Employment by Segments
Within the energy sector, electricity production, transmission, and distribution stand out with 84,712 employees as of March, representing a 9.8% increase from the previous year and 86.5% of total sector activity.
Demographics and Education
Regarding demographics, 69% of employees are male (68,001), while 31% are female (29,960). The presence of women in the sector has significantly declined since late 2023 when it represented 36% of the total workforce.
The age distribution in the sector is fairly balanced, with a slight concentration in older age groups. 79% of employees are over 35 years old, with 50% over 44 years. Workers under 35 make up only 21% of the workforce.
In terms of education, nearly 49% of employees have university degrees, and another 31% have vocational training. More than 16% hold engineering degrees, the most common profile, followed by administrative staff (5.7%) and sales agents (5.6%).
Geographical Distribution and Technology
Employment in the sector is primarily concentrated in the Community of Madrid (25.7%), followed by Andalusia (17.2%), Catalonia (15.3%), and the Basque Country (5.2%).
In terms of technology, 90% of surveyed companies plan to adopt generative AI in their operations, and 72% expect to use robots regularly. Currently, only 26% of tasks are performed by machines, with this figure projected to rise to 33% by 2027.
Future Outlook
Juan Ramón Benito of Randstad Research explains that “the sector will benefit in the coming years from the energy transition, which will generate millions of jobs in clean energy and low-emission technologies across the EU.”
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