HR in the power industry is being asked to plan for scale and risk at the same time, with the U.S. electric power workforce sitting at 3.6 million employees. Job demand is also climbing, including 8.5% growth for power line installers and repairers from 2023 to 2033 and 27% growth for power plant operators, while 27% of utility workers in North America are expected to retire within 5 years. Layer in safety and systems pressures like a $42,000 average cost per workplace injury and new reliability focused cybersecurity expectations, and you can see why workforce planning now looks different than it did even a few hiring cycles ago.
Key Takeaways
- 3.6 million employees in the U.S. electric power industry (including utility power generation, transmission, and distribution), representing the workforce scale the HR functions typically support
- 2.7% expected annual growth rate for U.S. electrical power-line installers and repairers jobs from 2023 to 2033, indicating hiring demand over the next decade
- 8.5% job growth expected for U.S. power plant operators from 2023 to 2033, indicating expanding workforce needs for generation operations
- 2.2% of U.S. private-sector workers were hired via temporary help services in 2023, often used to manage skill shortages in utility maintenance and outage work
- FERC’s cybersecurity training and incident response expectations in NERC standards translate into recurring HR training and exercise requirements for reliability personnel
- EPRI’s workforce studies show that nearly half of utility employees will be eligible for retirement in the coming decade, requiring large-scale onboarding and training throughput managed by HR
- Gartner forecast that worldwide SaaS HR software revenue will grow 6.9% in 2024, indicating continued investment in HR systems relevant to power utilities
- Gartner reported that 60% of HR leaders plan to use generative AI for HR-related tasks by 2026, increasing HR analytics and automation focus
- The World Economic Forum projected that by 2027, 1.1 billion jobs will be transformed by AI, reinforcing the need for HR analytics and reskilling measurement
- IBM reported that the cost of a data breach in the U.S. averaged $9.36 million in 2023, increasing cost exposure from HR systems that store employee PII
- In 2023, the average cost per workplace injury in the U.S. was $42,000 (direct costs), informing HR safety program ROI for power workplaces
- The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that the average time away from work injury case is 8 days, providing a measurable input for HR productivity loss calculations
- U.S. EIA reported 1,281 gigawatts of total U.S. electric generation capacity in 2023, informing staffing and maintenance workforce demand trends
- U.S. EIA reported total U.S. electric power sector CO2 emissions were 1,563 million metric tons in 2023, reinforcing workforce transition and HR training needs for decarbonization
- IEA reported that global electricity demand increased by 2,000 TWh between 2022 and 2023, increasing future generation and grid workforce needs
Power utilities face retirements and rapid growth, driving major HR hiring, safety, and upskilling needs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workforce & Demographics7 stats
01
3.6 million employees in the U.S. electric power industry (including utility power generation, transmission, and distribution), representing the workforce scale the HR functions typically support
02
2.7% expected annual growth rate for U.S. electrical power-line installers and repairers jobs from 2023 to 2033, indicating hiring demand over the next decade
03
8.5% job growth expected for U.S. power plant operators from 2023 to 2033, indicating expanding workforce needs for generation operations
04
27% of utility workers in North America planned to retire within 5 years, increasing replacement hiring demand the HR function must plan for
05
In the U.S., 7.4% of all workers were union members in 2023, informing labor relations planning for many power-industry HR organizations
06
19% of U.S. manufacturing and construction workers reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders, indicating the prevalence of ergonomic injuries HR safety programs need to address in power work
07
In 2023, the U.S. had 5,486 fatal work injuries across all industries, which sets the baseline risk context for power-industry HR and safety training priorities
Interpretation
Workforce & Demographics Interpretation
With 27% of utility workers in North America expected to retire within five years, and job growth of 2.7% for line installers and repairers plus 8.5% for power plant operators through 2033, the workforce and demographics outlook signals a strong and time-sensitive hiring and reskilling push for HR in the power industry.
02 · Category
Skills & Training4 stats
01
2.2% of U.S. private-sector workers were hired via temporary help services in 2023, often used to manage skill shortages in utility maintenance and outage work
02
FERC’s cybersecurity training and incident response expectations in NERC standards translate into recurring HR training and exercise requirements for reliability personnel
03
EPRI’s workforce studies show that nearly half of utility employees will be eligible for retirement in the coming decade, requiring large-scale onboarding and training throughput managed by HR
04
OSHA’s Training requirements guidance establishes that employers must provide jobsite safety and training for workers exposed to specific hazards, shaping HR training hours and documentation
Interpretation
Skills & Training Interpretation
With EPRI warning that nearly half of utility employees may be retirement-eligible in the next decade and OSHA requiring hazard specific jobsite training, HR’s Skills and Training role is set to expand massively, even as temporary help hiring remains relatively limited at 2.2% in 2023.
03 · Category
Technology & HR Analytics5 stats
01
Gartner forecast that worldwide SaaS HR software revenue will grow 6.9% in 2024, indicating continued investment in HR systems relevant to power utilities
02
Gartner reported that 60% of HR leaders plan to use generative AI for HR-related tasks by 2026, increasing HR analytics and automation focus
03
The World Economic Forum projected that by 2027, 1.1 billion jobs will be transformed by AI, reinforcing the need for HR analytics and reskilling measurement
04
NIST SP 800-53 rev. 5 provides baseline security controls and includes roles and responsibilities that HR must support for workforce management systems
05
ISO 27001:2022 includes controls for people and access management that HR must implement to protect employee data and systems
Interpretation
Technology & HR Analytics Interpretation
With Gartner forecasting 6.9% SaaS HR revenue growth in 2024 and reporting that 60% of HR leaders plan to use generative AI by 2026, power utilities are being pushed toward Technology and HR Analytics that combine HR system investment with measurable AI driven workforce insights.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
IBM reported that the cost of a data breach in the U.S. averaged $9.36 million in 2023, increasing cost exposure from HR systems that store employee PII
02
In 2023, the average cost per workplace injury in the U.S. was $42,000(direct costs), informing HR safety program ROI for power workplaces
03
The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that the average time away from work injury case is 8 days, providing a measurable input for HR productivity loss calculations
04
Courts and regulators require certain recordkeeping; OSHA’s standard 29 CFR 1904 requires employers to maintain records of work-related injuries and illnesses, which drives HR administrative cost
05
The U.S. DOL reported that the federal minimum wage remained $7.25/hour, affecting baseline labor cost assumptions for entry-level roles in some power supply chains
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressures in power industry HR are rising as data breach expenses average $9.36 million in the U.S. in 2023 and workplace injury direct costs reach about $42,000, while required injury recordkeeping under OSHA adds ongoing administrative expense.
05 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
U.S. EIA reported 1,281 gigawatts of total U.S. electric generation capacity in 2023, informing staffing and maintenance workforce demand trends
02
U.S. EIA reported total U.S. electric power sector CO2 emissions were 1,563 million metric tons in 2023, reinforcing workforce transition and HR training needs for decarbonization
03
IEA reported that global electricity demand increased by 2,000 TWh between 2022 and 2023, increasing future generation and grid workforce needs
04
IEA forecast that global electricity generation capacity additions will be dominated by renewables through 2030, influencing HR hiring for new asset types and skills
05
FERC approved more than $117 billion in U.S. grid investment plans during 2023 in its Order cycle reporting, supporting workforce expansion to deliver capital projects
06
The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorized $73 billion for energy infrastructure and grid modernization (including transmission and smart grid programs), increasing project staffing needs relevant to HR
07
BLS reported 3.2% unemployment rate for the U.S. in 2023, affecting overall labor availability assumptions for hiring in the power industry
08
In 2023, U.S. electricity transmission workers had 8,000+ job openings (BLS JOLTS), indicating persistent demand for line and grid roles
09
The World Health Organization reported that mental health conditions account for 12% of global years lived with disability (YLDs), strengthening HR focus on wellbeing in high-stress power roles
10
ISO 45001:2018 adoption grew globally with 10,000+ certifications by 2020, indicating growing uptake of occupational health & safety management systems that many power HR programs support
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With the U.S. power sector showing 1,563 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2023 while global electricity demand rose by 2,000 TWh from 2022 to 2023, Industry Trends point to an urgent HR shift toward hiring and training workforces to support decarbonization and renewable driven grid expansion.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). HR In The Power Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-power-industry-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "HR In The Power Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-power-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "HR In The Power Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-power-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)