North American energy professionals report slower hiring: AEE survey

Hiring in the North American energy sector could be slowing, according to a survey by the Association of Energy Engineers.

The number of respondents who said their company plans to hire enegy professionals in the next 12 months dropped from 45.9% in 2024 to 42.6% in 2025, the AEE found in its annual Jobs and Market Trends report released this month.

In 2024, AEE’s survey found that 27.2% of North American energy professionals said there were no plans to hire, and 26.9% were unsure. In 2025’s survey, 34.9% said there were no plans, and 22.4% were unsure.

The industry is also facing a demographic shift, with 24% of North American respondents saying they intend to retire within five years and another 16.9% within ten years. This marks an increase in planned retirements from last year’s survey, when 21.3% of North American respondents said they intend to retire within five years.

North Americans also reported more skepticism about their infrastructure. In response to the question, “do you think your local electric grid can handle everyone switching from gas to electric heating, as well as from gasoline to electric cars, within the next 10 years?” the number of respondents who said “no” was 83%, up from 79% last year.

Globally, changes in hiring plans depended on sector, with only 19% of manufacturing respondents saying their firm has plans to hire, down from 39% in 2024.

The technology sector, in contrast, looks set to expand. This year, 40% of respondents said their company plans to hire, compared with 34% last year.

“[Energy service companies] and utilities report highest hiring rates at 64% and 57% respectively, while manufacturing and institutional sectors show limited expansion plans below 25%,” AEE said. “Hiring patterns reflect operational realities across sector types.”

Service companies, including utilities and consultants, consistently “report higher hiring intentions, likely driven by project-based workloads and client demand,” AEE said. “Manufacturing and institutional sectors show constrained hiring, potentially reflecting budget limitations and existing workforce adequacy.”

AEE added that the “20-30% ‘unsure’ responses across most sectors indicate ongoing uncertainty in workforce planning decisions.”

AEE’s data was based on 1,016 completed surveys this year, and 1,383 completed surveys in 2024.

Three-quarters of energy professionals globally reported workforce shortages to AEE, with a majority of North American respondents reporting a shortage. 92% of Sub-Saharan African respondents and 90% of Middle Eastern and North African respondents reported a labor shortage.

The number of professionals who agreed with the statement “My company and work are being driven by my decarbonization and net-zero goals” also dropped globally, with 55.5% of respondents saying yes this year, compared to 59.7% last year and 64.3% in 2023.

The number of professionals who agree with “I am dealing with grid capacity issues” stayed steady from last year, with 43.2% saying yes in 2025 and 2024. But that number has risen 10% since AEE’s 2021-2022 report, when 33.2% responded yes.