Canada will see 700,000 more energy jobs in a net-zero 2050 than exist today, according to a new report from Clean Energy Canada with modelling from Navius Research.
The report states that there will be 1.5 million jobs lost in the fossil fuel sector. The losses will be outweighed by the 2.2 million jobs that will be gained in the clean energy sector. Employment in the clean sector is estimated to grow by 7% per year to 2050.
The new report investigated the impact of current climate policies (carbon pricing and the federal climate plan) on energy jobs. If a future government rolls back key climate measures, there would be 100,000 fewer energy jobs by 2050. The report concludes that cutting climate policy eliminates more energy jobs than it saves.
Jobs in oil production are set to decline significantly, which will impact employment in Alberta. But jobs in the province’s clean energy sector would grow 10% a year to 2050, with clean energy job gains (419,000 opportunities) far exceeding losses in fossil fuels (324,000 lost jobs).
Clean energy jobs are set to grow in every part of Canada, making this a pan-Canadian sector that encompasses a wide range of jobs, from the assembler producing electric vehicles in Windsor, to the construction worker building energy-efficient housing in Yellowknife, to the drill operator on a geothermal plant near Saskatoon.