Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2025-2030
Wind Workforce Development as an Industrial Challenge Chapter 3:
This evolution has undoubtedly improved efficiency, as the industry has discovered that specialisation streamlines operations and drives performance. However, it has also created a new challenge: no single entity now holds full responsibility or influence over workforce development and long-term capability building across the entire value chain. This fragmentation raises important questions about how the industry can collectively ensure the availability of a skilled and competent workforce to meet the demands of the accelerating energy transition. No single entity now holds full responsibility or influence over workforce development and long-term capability building across the entire value chain
Early wind development was led by fully integrated companies handling the entire value chain. They knew the whole value chain and took ownership of the roles and responsibilities that defined a framework for workforce planning. That is no longer the case. The wind energy sector has undergone rapid evolution, both technologically and commercially. Over the last twenty years, the industry has moved away from a model in which a single company could handle the entire value chain – covering construction, maintenance, and power generation – toward one in which firms increasingly focus on specialised services, supplies, or solutions. Technicians are an essential component in delivering energy transition targets, yet in this context, no single company can take full ownership of addressing the shortage as companies are increasingly focusing on specific segments of the value chain.
Today, only a handful of OEMs retain a wind farm development and operation business. The degree of OEM involvement, however, varies by market. In North America and parts of Asia, Engineering, Procurement and Construction(EPC) contractors typically handle installation and project commissioning. In China, asset owners often carry out installation work for their own wind farms and may even procure towers directly from third-party suppliers, leaving OEMs with a limited role in construction. By contrast, in Western markets, turbine OEM contracts commonly include installation and commissioning services, contributing to higher turbine costs compared to Chinese models. Overall, there is no universal (‘one-for-all’) approach, but a clear movement toward specialisation and redistribution of project responsibilities across the value chain.
Technicians play a vital role in delivering renewable energy projects, which collectively drive progress toward global renewables development and energy transition targets. In public discussions about these targets, much attention is often given to policy frameworks and supply chain challenges. However, one critical aspect is frequently overlooked: the workforce. The availability of skilled workers is, in fact, a fundamental part of the supply chain. Yet, it has not received the same level of recognition or systematic planning.
Through interviews with industry experts, this report identifies how workforce planning and competence management are increasingly acknowledged as key enablers of the energy transition – but the practice is still underdeveloped at any meaningful level. As wind energy continues to expand rapidly, a clear trend has emerged: companies are becoming increasingly specialised within specific segments of the value chain. For example, in the past, an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) might have acted simultaneously as a power producer, turbine supplier, and constructor.
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