Electricity demand in Canada is expected to increase by approximately 50 per cent by 2050. At the same time, it is anticipated that nearly 28,000 new employees will be needed across the sector by 2028, to address industry growth and a wave of expected retirements.
Building Canada's Electricity Workforce: Aligning Policy, Investment, and Talent for Growth, a joint discussion paper published by uOttawa’s Positive Energy and Electricity Canada reexamines one of the sector's most pressing challenges: ensuring there are enough skilled workers to build, operate and maintain the electricity system on which Canadians are depending.
The study explores the workforce opportunities and challenges facing Canada's electricity sector and identifies the actions needed to ensure the industry can meet growing demand while supporting a reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean electricity system.
By bringing together perspectives from across industry, government, academia, labour, and Indigenous communities, Building Canada's Electricity Workforce: Aligning Policy, Investment, and Talent for Growthaims to inform discussion and support practical actions that will help ensure Canada has the workforce needed to power future growth.
Among the issues raised by the discussion paper are the challenges facing the industry in finding skilled workers and replacing the 15,700 employees expected to retire (57% of hiring needs.) The study also highlights the need to ensure that workforce considerations are integrated into infrastructure planning, regulatory decisions, and investments to help keep projects on track and ensure the timely delivery of critical infrastructures. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of providing formal AI training to employees of the sector.
“Success will depend on governments, industry, labour, Indigenous partners and educational institutions working together to align talent development with infrastructure needs and ensure Canada has the capacity to deliver on its electricity ambitions.”
Professor Monica Gattinger
— Founding Chair of Positive Energy
“Canada’s electricity future depends on people. Funding, approvals and equipment matter, but without the skilled workers to deliver projects, growth and electrification will stall. Workforce planning must be a national infrastructure priority.”
Josée Guibord
— Electricity Canada President and CEO