The pandemic has hit the energy industry particularly hard. Energy industry employment shrank by 10% from 8.3 million to 7.5 million jobs, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). The decline in energy jobs outpaced nationwide employment, which fell 6% between December 2019 and the end of 2020.
The steepest drops in jobs were in oil, gas, and coal. Gains in hybrid and electric car manufacturing, wind generation, and battery storage technology continued despite industry-wide losses.
Specific energy industry sectors are clustered in a couple of states, making the impact of the pandemic starker in certain parts of the nation.
