It notes around 767,000 people work in liquefied natural gas (LNG) globally, which is expected to grow, driven by new facilities.
Focus on seaborne trade of LNG has increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 8 bcm of new projects fast-tracked in 2022.
Over 60% of the workforce is employed to develop new projects, including building power plants, bringing oil wells online and laying pipelines, manufacturing cars, carrying out efficiency retrofits and installing high-efficiency electric heat pumps.
Global natural gas production has grown steadily since 2010, and in 2019 exceeded 4 100 bcm. Following a dip in 2020, production rebounded in 2021, while investment almost recovered. North America, Eurasia, and the Middle East remain the regions with the largest shares of production.
With the rebound of production following the pandemic, global natural gas employment is estimated at 4.5m in 2021, up 600,000 on 2019 levels.
Energy employment in fossil fuel and clean energy sectors by region, 2019 / Source: IEA
Rapid energy infrastructure expansion in Asia Pacific is outpacing other regions, and lower-cost labour is enabling the emergence of significant clean energy manufacturing hubs that supply projects worldwide, notably for solar, electric and hybrid vehicles, and batteries.
In recent years, the share of energy employment related to clean energy technologies has grown steadily and has proven more resilient through the Covid-19 pandemic.
The energy sector employs 65m worldwide and accounts for 2% of global employment.
”The industry is bracing for the prospects of radically shifting global trade dynamics in the coming years, taking stock of their ability to ramp up production with flexibility. This is likely to drive up the prevalence of contract-based employment via consultancies and services companies,” the report states.
”It is facing a period of unparalleled change, but has numerous opportunities to expand economic growth, improve labour conditions, continue to cultivate a highly- skilled, inclusive workforce, and ensure people are at the centre of the clean energy transition.”