A technician prepares for a wind turbine blade inspection. Canada's clean-energy skill shortage requires new talent.Getty
Laura Strickler says she’s in a “constant battle” for talent.
Like many employers in the clean-energy sector, the vice-president of people and culture of e-Zinc – a Mississauga-based long-duration battery maker – depends on numerous, highly skilled workers that are in high demand and limited supply.
“It’s a disruptive technology, it’s new, it’s never been done before, so sourcing people that have experience that’s adjacent or applicable to our battery technology is more difficult to find,” Ms. Strickler explains. “We have eight PhDs on our team, so it’s a very specialized group of individuals, and finding people with that depth of knowledge is certainly a huge challenge within this space.”
The company, now with 60 full-time staff, has managed to overcome hiring challenges by establishing internship partnerships with postsecondary institutions, going beyond the country’s borders to fill roles, and putting extra effort into its retention strategies.
“We know our people receive calls from other battery manufacturers in our specific technology space that are looking to recruit,” Ms. Strickler says. “We’re pro-actively doing these things around training up, and going out to market and trying to get ahead of it so we don’t run into challenges around hiring.”
While e-Zinc has not had to delay projects because of staffing shortages, Ms. Strickler says she fears the situation could change as the company ramps up, and as the competition for talent goes global.
“Talking to colleagues in this space, I think there could very well be challenges. We’ve set significant targets [in Canada], but a lot of countries have, and so the key for me will be continuing to foster interest in the industry, especially for people coming out of school and growing up in the industry, so that we can meet those targets.”
A wide variety of new and emerging skill sets that remain in limited supply will be required to achieve the Canadian government’s lofty plans to fully decarbonize the electricity grid by 2035. The development of clean-energy solutions requires highly trained professionals with very niche skills, while the rollout of that infrastructure depends on skilled tradespeople, a sector that is currently grappling with a worker shortage.
“Our research has shown that by 2050, Canada could see 700,000 more energy jobs than exist today if Canada achieves its net-zero goals,” says Evan Pivnick, the clean-energy program manager for Clean Energy Canada. “However, governments – both federal and provincial – need to put in place dedicated policies and support training programs that ensure we have the skills and work force necessary to support the growth of these clean economic sectors.”
According to Clean Energy Canada’s 2024 Provincial Scorecard, only British Columbia scored an ‘A’ for its clean-energy work force development strategy. Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick scored Bs, while the rest earned Cs and Ds.
“Nearly every province in the country still had significant work to do when it came to developing a dedicated work force strategy to support clean economic objectives,” Mr. Pivnick says. “Government policy – especially from provinces – will have a big impact on whether our work force is positioned as a key competitive advantage benefiting workers across the country, or a barrier to new investments.”
To meet the demand, the industry cannot rely on new entrants alone. Realizing Canada’s sustainability targets will require transitioning workers from adjacent industries by offering additional training.
“There’s quite a few very specialized skill sets, but also many transferable educational backgrounds that are useful to bring into the sector,” says Kevin Nilsen, president and CEO of ECO Canada, which offers environmental skills training and certification.
Though skills shortages have eased since their post-pandemic peak, Mr. Nilsen warns that labour shortages in the sector, like most in Canada, will become more challenging due to the country’s aging population. That is why he encourages businesses, governments and educational institutions to work together to invest in more training and development programs to help ease the transition.
“There really hasn’t been investment in career awareness for the next generation,” he says. “It’s important that we get the message out there that this is an exciting sector, this has a great potential for our economy, and it’s a great career path for individuals that are looking to both have a challenging job and make an impact.”