Energy Projects Are Booming, But Where Are the People to Build Them?

Energy and infrastructure investment is accelerating in the UK and the US. Governments are backing grid upgrades, renewables, and data centres, and private capital is following. Yet one factor threatens delivery more than materials or technology: People. The sector does not have enough skilled workers in the right places to build what is on the books. In this article Jamie Trevett looks at the scale of the workforce gap, why it persists, and what leaders can do now to protect timelines, budgets, and net zero targets.

The context: money is flowing, work is real, capacity is tight

United States: The Department of Energy’s 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report shows energy jobs expanding faster than the broader economy, with clean energy adding over one hundred thousand jobs year on year. That momentum sits on top of federal funding for manufacturing and grid capacity that is now moving into construction delivery. The Energy Information Administration also shows utility capital investment rising over the past two decades, driven by grid modernisation and new generation, which sustains a multi-year pipeline of field work. Read the DOE overview and the EIA analysis on utility spending.

United Kingdom: The ONS reports that construction output grew by 1.2 percent in Q2 2025 compared with Q1, even as total new orders fell by 8.3 percent in the quarter, a signal that delivery is still moving while investors remain selective. Alongside that, the government has set out a ten-year infrastructure strategy and confirmed funding to train up to 60,000 additional construction workers this Parliament, with skills routes that include apprenticeships and bootcamps. See the ONS bulletin and the policy detail on the skills package and infrastructure plan. 

The challenge: a workforce squeeze at the exact moment demand spikes

The gap is clear on both sides of the Atlantic.

• In the US, contractors must attract an estimated 439,000 additional workers in 2025 to meet demand, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. That number rises further if interest rates ease and project starts pick up. ABC’s analysis is here.



• In the UK, CITB’s Construction Workforce Outlook estimates the industry needs 47,860 extra workers per year from 2025 to 2029, which equates to roughly 239,300 additional workers over the period. See CITB’s live dashboard.

The shortage is not only about headcount.

Skills mismatch: Clean energy delivery brings requirements that do not map neatly to traditional roles. Offshore wind needs high-voltage competence and subsea experience. Battery storage and grid upgrades require electrical talent trained for modern protection, communications, and controls. On the US side, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects wind turbine service technicians as one of the fastest-growing occupations, at a 50 percent growth rate over 2024–34, which underscores where demand is heading. See BLS occupational outlook and the fastest-growing list.

Geography: Projects are not where labour lives. Data centres cluster in Northern Virginia and the Dallas–Fort Worth metro. Offshore wind sits off the east coast and around the North Sea. Contractors either move people or build regional pipelines. Neither happens by accident.

Generational risk: Many site leaders are mid-career supervisors and foremen who carry a job from workface planning to commissioning. If they burn out or leave for adjacent sectors, apprentices lose mentors and projects lose velocity.

The impact: delays, cost growth, and slipping targets

When labour supply cannot match programme demand, risk multiplies.

• Delivery risk on high-profile builds. Community pushback and labour constraints are already visible in US data centre development. A recent analysis collated examples of more than $60 billion in projects blocked or delayed since 2023 as communities and authorities weigh grid, water, and land-use impacts. Coverage spans trade press and regional reporting. The point is not the exact dollar figure. The point is that workforce and permitting constraints make even well-funded projects harder to deliver.

• Confidence and cost. In the UK, the latest ONS release shows new orders down in Q2. That does not stop current work, but it does signal investor caution if suppliers cannot demonstrate they can staff and sequence complex programmes reliably. 

• Long-run capacity. EIA’s look at utility spending and DOE’s progress updates show structural investment flowing into the system. If we do not expand talent pipelines, the strain will persist for years, because the work is multi-cycle and the skills are specialised.

What works: practical moves to build real capacity

Leaders cannot hire their way out of this with one tactic. The firms that stay on schedule use a layered plan that blends recruitment, training, and retention.

1) Build wider, smarter pipelines

Open up beyond traditional routes. Ex-military talent, mid-career switchers from manufacturing, and community college graduates can move into energy roles with targeted onboarding. In the UK, the government’s skills package funds routes that employers can plug into. In the US, DOE is deploying workforce dollars alongside supply-chain investments to seed local capacity.

What to do this quarter

• Define three entry pathways for your next project phase, each with a tailored 6–12 week onboarding plan.
• Assign one site-based mentor per four new hires, with a measurable handover plan to supervisors.

2) Co-design training with providers

Stop buying generic courses. Co-write modules with technical colleges and bootcamps that map to your work packs. In the UK, align with CITB’s outlook and occupational priorities so delivery meets known gaps. In the US, use BLS data to set targets by craft.

What to do this quarter

• Build a micro-credential stack for one critical role, for example HV commissioning technician, with assessment at 30, 60, and 90 days.
• Tie completion to pay progression and next-role eligibility.

3) Take training to where the projects are

If the work is in Norfolk or North Dakota, training has to be there too. Use mobile training units, pop-up classrooms on partner sites, and relocation support for families. The goal is to remove friction to join and to stay.

What to do this quarter

• Stand up a regional training hub with one local college and one supplier, measured on time-to-productive output rather than classroom hours.
• Offer guaranteed travel and accommodation for the first 60 days to stabilise early attrition.

4) Protect the mid-career core

Your supervisors, planners, and foremen are the flywheel. Give them reasons to stay. Predictable rotations, paid certification time, and clear steps into site leadership reduce churn that blows up schedules. BLS and DOE trends show demand for technically literate field leaders rising, not falling. 

What to do this quarter

• Create a “four-step ladder” from lead hand to superintendent with visible pay bands and competencies.
• Fund two certifications per person per year tied to the next role.

5) Sequence work to the labour you have, not the labour you wish you had

Front-load prefab and offsite where possible, then schedule the site work in waves that match actual crew availability. Use realistic productivity factors and lock them to weekly look-aheads. This is where planners and supervisors earn their keep.

What to do this quarter

• Run a labour-constrained reschedule on your next milestone.
• Publish a two-page weekly that calls out crew gaps and the plan to cover them.

What this means for clients and hiring managers

This is not a generic labour market. It is a specialised, location-bound, safety-critical workforce that needs structured pathways. Clients who want certainty should engage earlier with workforce planning and should be open to sequencing decisions that reflect labour reality. In the US, you can see why. Non-residential work is still moving, yet contractors are juggling job openings and retention in a tight market. In the UK, output is growing even as new orders soften, which puts a premium on contractors who can show staffing confidence over the life of a framework or programme. 

Where Just Recruit+ fits

We only raise Just Recruit+ where it adds value. Here, it does. The model is to identify candidates who can deliver today and grow into tomorrow’s energy roles. That could be welders who can transition into offshore wind, HV electricians who can cross-train into battery storage, or site supervisors who can lead modular programmes. We partner with clients on the front end to map the work packs, build the pipeline by region, and tie recruitment to training that sticks. The outcome is fewer surprises on site, fewer resets, and a steadier glidepath to handover.

Final take

The energy transition is not a future plan. It is a live programme of work that is pouring concrete, setting turbines, and upgrading substations today. The funding is there. The technology is ready. The only question is whether we have the people to deliver it.

Leaders who treat workforce as strategy will win on schedule, quality, and cost. Expand the pipeline. Co-design training. Move training to the work. Protect the mid-career core. Sequence to the labour you have. Do these things and you protect both the near-term milestone and the long-term transition. Ignore them and the best-funded projects will still slip.



That is the choice in front of us. Let’s build the teams that can finish the job.