Jobs and Skills Australia has published the findings of its inaugural workforce capacity study, which charts the path for Australia’s development of its skilled workforce to achieve the nation’s renewable energy and emissions targets.
The study, “The Clean Energy Generation: Workforce needs for a net-zero economy”, outlines the skills and workers required for Australia’s clean energy transformation, and highlights that to achieve 82 per cent renewable generation in the National Electricity Market and 43 per cent emissions reduction below 2005 levels by 2030, we need:
- 32,000 additional electricians, far greater than the projected labour supply.
- 450,000 jobs in construction of clean energy generation and transmission infrastructure, representing one-third of all jobs growth in Australia by 2030.
- To rapidly address an existing shortage of engineers and a dependency on skilled migration. Currently, more than 50 per cent of electrical engineers in Australia were born overseas.
- To reform training and education offerings and create more inclusive pathways for women, First Nations peoples and workers born overseas.
The Clean Energy Council endorses the findings and its director of workforce development, Dr Anita Talberg, says action to attract new talent, particularly across STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and construction is needed to fulfil existing capability gaps in Australia’s clean energy workforce.
“The next seven years will be critical in establishing or strengthening the education, training and migration systems to ensure we have the workforce to deliver the energy transition,” she says.
“We look forward to working with Jobs and Skills Australia and other Commonwealth departments and agencies to coordinate an approach towards building out the clean energy workforce during the next few decades, tailored to industry needs, particularly across the engineering and electrical fields.”