Post: Hiring challenges in the renewable energy sector

Hiring challenges in the renewable energy sector

Guest blog with Astha Tyagi, Talent Acquistion Specialist, GridBeyond

Learning an entirely new industry has been energising and incredibly insightful. When you start working in the renewable energy sector, you feel like you have joined an elite group of people on a very special mission, to help save the planet.

A big difference I have noticed is the willingness of people within the sector to talk, to share experiences, to share information and to share ideas.

Here are some interesting facts about renewables that I had no idea about from my research:

• Total jobs in renewable energy alone is expected to reach 42 million by 2050
• The renewable energy industry creates five times more jobs than fossil fuels
• By 2024 30% of the world’s energy will be renewable, with the aim of 100% by 2050

The growth of renewable energy as a major supplier of electricity certainly faces some of the biggest recruitment challenges organizations face when they’re part of any growth market sector where everyone competes for a limited supply of qualified talent.

The renewable energy is still a relatively new area and with a strong presence from start-ups and new developers. As a result, leaders are struggling to find the right experience they are looking for with so many varying positions and job titles within the industry. This is an ongoing challenge to understand the differing roles at competitors and others in the field.

What should we do to attract top talent within renewable energy?

Organizations need to be proactive to ensure they enhance their talent attraction strategy, both in the short and long term. Adapting traditional hiring processes and improving the efficiency of the hiring process will achieve better results for headcount growth.

Obviously when demand exceeds talent, you have a gap in available skills. This has happened in many aspects of the broader energy industry and it becomes even more acute in the renewable energy sector. This is largely due to new jobs often requiring the application of skill and knowledge in new ways. This applies to engineering, IT, and field operations.

From a recruitment perspective there are some huge challenges and we need to focus on:

• Promotion of the renewable energy industry to younger generations
• Provision of more scholarships and apprenticeships
• Provision of training and development for people switching industry
• Development of better internal development and training opportunities
• Development of stronger staff retention schemes
• Promotion of diversity
• Improvement in the facilitation of global relocation and settlement