An interview with our Director: What are the hiring trends in the renewable energy & engineering industry in 2023?

The world of renewable energy and engineering is changing every day, and with it, companies' needs are also constantly changing with it. In this article, we will be interviewing Yuji Nozaki, Director at Progressive Recruitment who will discuss the industry trends for automotive and renewable energy industries, and the changes in hiring needs that will come along with these trends.

If you’re interested to find out more about sustainability and connectivity and how these would affect the renewable energy and engineering industry, please click here to read more about it.

 

How is the movement towards decarbonisation impacting the renewable energy and engineering industries in Japan?

Global decarbonisation is affecting all parts of the energy and engineering industry, with an increasing number of companies declaring themselves carbon neutral. This is particularly true in manufacturing industries such as electrical equipment, metal products, automotive, and food, and is having a significant impact on human resource strategies. In particular, there is an urgent need for talent with the knowledge to develop businesses that are compatible with decarbonisation. In addition, with the development and promotion of new business models such as electric and hydrogen vehicles, the need for talent with knowledge in these areas, especially electrical engineers, is also rapidly increasing.

Beyond that, an increasing number of companies are moving into the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) business to promote the use of public transportation in order to decarbonise their operations. With this trend, it has created many job openings for business development jobs to help with new business launches, as well as UI/UX designers, data analysts and data engineers for app and service development.

 

What are some trends to watch in the renewable energy & engineering industry in 2023?

• Growing interest in the renewable energy

Of the energy industry, the renewable energy sector is expected to grow even more as we move toward decarbonisation. As such, the renewable energy industry will also see an acceleration in the need for talent in a number of areas. Nozaki shared, “In particular, we will see many companies within renewables having a challenge in recruiting talent for growing markets such as offshore wind power and storage batteries.”

 

• Increase of usage in offshore wind power

With the global trend toward decarbonisation as mentioned in the previous point, further development is expected across all areas of the renewable energy industry. In Japan, the amount of offshore wind power installed has increased dramatically over the past few years, and the designation of promotion zones and the selection of operators based on the Renewable Energy Sea Area Utiliis underway. As a result, we expect active recruitment to continue even after 2023 for all positions relating to offshore wind power projects in Japan.

The estimated employment growth rate from 2020 to 2030 is said to be approximately 58.2% for engineering jobs, making it one of the most in-demand positions in the industry today. The high demand for non-technical positions in this field also includes finance analysts, finance modeling experts, procurement officers, and bidders. Those with knowledge and experience in these areas are likely to find a job even if they have no previous industry experience.

 

• Unprecedented needs for storage batteries

Along with the growth of the household storage battery market, new trends are beginning to emerge in the industrial storage battery market. In addition to private consumption and BCP (Business Continuity Plan) measures, unprecedented needs from Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and storage battery power plants are also increasing. This has led to employment needs centered around development. Other jobs in Japan that are also becoming more apparent in demand include sales jobs. In addition, coupled with the aforementioned trend toward decarbonisation, the introduction of mega solar power plants at manufacturing sites is also being actively pursued which can also lead to a demand in talent.

 

• Demand for engineering jobs within the automotive industry in Japan

Nozaki said, “The automotive industry in Japan is accelerating its hiring process as they prepare to respond to trends around digitalisation and decarbonisation. This hiring trend for engineering jobs in Japan will only expect to continue”.

 

• Acceleration of digitalisation will lead to a demand in engineering jobs

The development of driving technologies such as electric, hybrid, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based next-generation vehicles has accelerated over the past few years. With this also comes the growing importance of anti-hacking measures and an unprecedented rapid demand for engineers with electrical and software knowledge necessary for such measures. In particular, there is a growing need to hire software engineers, security engineers, and system engineers involved in the development and management of systems such as cameras and sensors to enable safe automated driving. On the other hand, the shortage of talent with engineering background and experience in the industry is a chronic issue. But now is the perfect time for those who are looking to advance their engineering careers in the automotive industry.

 

Are you working in the renewable energy or engineering industry in Japan? Or are you looking for a job change into an engineering role that has more potential for career advancement?

Progressive Recruitment is Japan’s source for career support in the energy and engineering industry. The team at Progressive Recruitment comes with extensive experience in recruiting across all areas of the energy and engineering industry. They are familiar with the unique practices and challenges of each job in Japan and can help you to understand your requirements and needs accurately and quickly. If you are considering a career change in the energy and engineering field, including the automotive and renewable energy industries that are the focus of 2023, please feel free to contact us using the form below.

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About Yuji Nozaki

After a six-month internship while in college at a company started by a former SONY employee, Yuji Nozaki joined the Japanese subsidiary of Bosch, a major player in the automotive industry. He has worked in the human resources industry for more than 10 years, recruiting for all industries and job levels in more than 10 countries, while based in Japan and Singapore. He has extensive experience in providing a consulting service on recruitment and organisational development for Japanese companies expanding overseas as well as foreign companies entering the Japanese market.

In 2021, he joined SThree, a STEM-focused recruiting firm, as Director of the IT-focused Computer Futures enterprise division and launched a new line of business, Progressive Recruitment. He is currently the Director of both Huxley, specialising in Finance, Accounting and Legal as well as Progressive Recruitment.