Gitnux/Report 2026

HR In The Power Industry Statistics

With 3.6 million people already working in the U.S. electric power industry, HR has to plan around a decade of hiring pressure and retirements, including 27% of utility workers in North America expected to retire within five years. At the same time, safety and risk responsibilities are getting heavier, from ergonomic injury prevalence and recordkeeping demands to cybersecurity training tied to NERC expectations, all while power utilities modernize with major grid investment and decarbonization.
31Statistics
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May 15, 2026Updated
HR In The Power Industry Statistics
Min-ji ParkWritten by Min-ji Park·Edited by Priya Chandrasekaran·Fact-checked by Peter Sandoval
Published ·Updated
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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 supporthttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics.htm
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 decadehttps://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm
03
8.5% job growth expected for U.S. power plant operators from 2023 to 2033, indicating expanding workforce needs for generation operationshttps://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/power-plant-operators.htm
04
27% of utility workers in North America planned to retire within 5 years, increasing replacement hiring demand the HR function must plan forhttps://www.nadcap.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/utility-workforce-retirement.pdf
05
In the U.S., 7.4% of all workers were union members in 2023, informing labor relations planning for many power-industry HR organizationshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
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 workhttps://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/cd_2017.htm
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 prioritieshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm
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 workhttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t01.htm
02
FERC’s cybersecurity training and incident response expectations in NERC standards translate into recurring HR training and exercise requirements for reliability personnelhttps://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-approves-improvements-nerc
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 HRhttps://www.epri.com/research/products/000000000000300000/utility-workforce-issue-brief
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 documentationhttps://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.132
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 utilitieshttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-25-gartner-forecast-worldwide-hr-software-revenue-to-grow
02
Gartner reported that 60% of HR leaders plan to use generative AI for HR-related tasks by 2026, increasing HR analytics and automation focushttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-05-gartner-explains-how-generative-ai-will-affect-hr
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 measurementhttps://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023
04
NIST SP 800-53 rev. 5 provides baseline security controls and includes roles and responsibilities that HR must support for workforce management systemshttps://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/r5/final
05
ISO 27001:2022 includes controls for people and access management that HR must implement to protect employee data and systemshttps://www.iso.org/standard/27001
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 PIIhttps://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
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 workplaceshttps://www.nsc.org/work-safety/tools-resources/research/injury-cost-calculator
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 calculationshttps://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi.htm
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 costhttps://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.1
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 chainshttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history
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.
Reference

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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

bls.govnadcap.orgferc.govepri.comosha.govgartner.comibm.comweforum.orgcsrc.nist.goviso.orgnsc.orgdol.goveia.goviea.orgcongress.govwho.int

+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)