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IEA flags electrical-trade training gaps as Latin America energy employment grows
The October 8 IEA/OLACDE commentary estimates 750,000 additional energy workers since 2019. It distinguishes regional jobs estimates and future projections from open jobs or training offers.
By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 11, 2026 · Updated 10/11/2026
The International Energy Agency and the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organisation published an October 8 commentary on energy-sector employment in Latin America and the Caribbean. It says the region added 750,000 energy workers from 2019 to 2025 and now employs 6.1 million people in the sector. These are regional estimates, not a count of currently advertised jobs.
The commentary says energy employment grew 2.2% a year since 2019. Low-emissions power generation accounted for about 150,000 additions over that period, roughly one-fifth of all energy-sector job additions. The whole 750,000 increase should not be labeled clean-energy employment.
Electricians, lineworkers, solar installers, battery technicians and other electrical specialists are a focus of the analysis. The authors say electricity investment and demand from data centres draw on some of the same workers, making training capacity important. This is an assessment of skills pressure, not a guarantee that a particular occupation will have an opening in a particular city.
The authors expect clean power, grids and batteries together to add another 120,000 jobs in the region by 2035. That is a forward-looking estimate for those areas, not an observed increase or a forecast for the entire regional economy. Actual hiring depends on investment and projects proceeding.
The education comparison uses energy-relevant qualifications in engineering, manufacturing and construction, identified by field code 07 in the ISCED-F classification. The authors describe vocational graduation as largely stagnant in the 2020s and call for closer links between employers, training providers and education policy. This broad education category is not a direct count of graduates qualified for high-voltage work.
Limits: this brief reports a regional IEA/OLACDE commentary, not a new employment survey commissioned by Greener Numbers. It does not identify open courses, application deadlines, wages or transferable licenses. This is a work derived from an IEA and OLACDE commentary entitled 'Can Latin America and the Caribbean’s workforce keep pace with the energy boom?'. Liability and responsibility for this derived work rests solely with its author(s). The derived work is not endorsed by the IEA or OLACDE in any manner.
Official source: iea.org ↗