Utilities Workforce Reality - Aging And Yet More Vibrant

By Bob Ashenbrenner, President of Durable Mobility Technologies, LLC.

A high-quality workforce is a tremendous asset to any Utility. And utility technicians, across the board, have a lot of experience and skill. The challenge to utilities is that this “asset” is older than the average workforce currently driving other U.S. industries. According to PWC, over 30% of Utility workers are within five years of retirement. PWC also reported that first-year turnover is high among the next-generation of utility field service professionals, and getting worse.

Let’s briefly consider the data behind those statements, then discuss how mobile technology – no scratch that – the right mobile technology can help with both knowledge retention and skill retention…

First, if you look at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the median age of workers across many industries, it’s clear that the median age ranges from 45.3 to 48.8 years old across the four utility sectors (yellow). Compared with the US average of 42.3 years, that is a big difference. 

And PWC shows that the rate at which Utility employees will be eligible for retirement is only increasing.