Doble Surveys Customers, Discovers Their Most Pressing Concerns in the Workforce and Industry
The Pulse Survey by Doble Engineering, recently released to power and utilities professionals, reveals how workforce and technology gaps are converging, threatening to outpace utilities’ ability to modernize reliably and at scale.
With the top challenges of the power industry being keeping up with energy demand and worries about the aging grid infrastructure, many also report concerns of extreme weather resilience. About one third reported that they are tackling renewable energy integration, where about half of the responses discussed focusing on modernizing operations.
However, these aren’t the only challenges in this field – 98% reported that they are struggling with hiring and retention. More than half cited worries about workforce shortages and lack of training in newer employees. With some saying that keeping existing talent engaged is an obstacle, hiring and integrating more training services for new hires are urgent priorities.
AI and machine learning integration is accelerating and still ranked highly as a promising technology, but Generative AI, 5G and Cloud, and IoT are showing potential but are still struggling to be integrated fully. Automation and predictive analysis are the biggest drivers of efficiency according to professionals surveyed.
Professionals also reported concerns about skill gaps within the workforce. Leadership and management skills were reported to be in highest demand by 67% of responders. Next was engineering experience at 41% and 20% reported a lack of data and analytical skills. Theoretical skills, soft skills, and technical skills all were reported by about one fourth of the responders.
When looking at the future and priorities, 88% reported focusing on hiring new workers. Less than half (47%) are focusing on upskilling and reskilling, where 41% are actively working on grid reliability. 35% reported on investing in digital transformation and automation initiatives. The path is clear – hiring isn’t enough, companies must invest in development and proper training for the workforce to close these skill gaps and ensure long-term grid reliability.