Baringa – New energy landscape to lead to sector skills shortage

Following research into human resources in the energy sector in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Baringa Partners has found that energy companies and utilities across the region are facing a serious skills shortage. According to human resource managers surveyed, the sector will be on the look-out for specialist talent over the next 2-3 years to help meet key challenges such as the nuclear phase-out and the transition to renewable energy.

However, despite forecast intense competition for suitably-qualified employees, many companies have no strategies in place to address the issue. As Partner Maik Neubauer explains: “An amazing 69% of the companies surveyed have not yet aligned their HR planning and strategic development with the new requirements of the energy market. This is a cause for concern, especially if the business risks posed by not being able to recruit the right people at the right time are being underestimated.”

Another key finding of the research is the impact that the energy transition is having on collaboration in the space. The results indicate that choosing and co-operating with the right partners is a potential recipe for success with 60 per cent of the medium-sized and large energy providers surveyed currently involved in strategic partnerships with other companies – either vertically or horizontally – to target new growth areas in the energy markets.

Outsourcing was another area touched on by the survey. Within HR departments almost 40 per cent of HR managers in the firms interviewed for the study have already outsourced areas of their operations, or are planning to do so in the near future.