Canada's energy industry needs workers—not just investment

About this episode

Deirdra Garyk discusses the challenges and opportunities in Canada's energy sector, emphasizing the need for skilled workers amidst a growing demand for energy.

Deirdra Garyk, longtime energy policy analyst and advocate, says this year's Global Energy Show was defined by a renewed sense of optimism, driven by greater policy certainty and a shift toward building major projects. She highlighted a new labour market outlook projecting roughly 72,000 energy-sector job openings by 2035, while warning that the industry's biggest challenge is not a shortage of workers, but a shortage of skills. Garyk also argued that growing demand from AI, LNG exports, and global energy security concerns is pushing the conversation away from an "energy transition" and toward a more pragmatic approach to “energy realism.” The Hub is Canada’s fastest-growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get our latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada Subscribe to The Hub’s podcast feed to get our best content when you are on the go: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple)  https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify)   Want more Hub? Get a FREE 3-month trial membership on us: https://thehub.ca/free-trial/ Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en   CREDITS: Falice Chin - Host, Producer, and Editor Hosted on…

People in this episode

Host: Falice Chin

Guest: Deirdra Garyk

Topics covered

• energy industry
• labour market
• skills shortage
• energy policy
• AI
• LNG exports
• energy realism

Keywords

• energy sector
• job openings
• skills shortage
• energy transition
• AI
• LNG exports
• global energy security

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Global Energy Show, The Hub, Hub Canada Media

Places: Canada

More episodes of Hub Podcasts

• The rest of Canada has a lot to learn from Alberta · June 13, 2026 · 11 min
• Trump says U.S. doesn't need Canada. What happens to CUSMA now? · June 12, 2026 · 20 min
• Carney's AI strategy and the push to restrict social media for kids under 16 · June 12, 2026 · 15 min
• Why WestJet is refusing Ottawa's 'market distorting' airline subsidies · June 12, 2026 · 17 min
• Carney is all-in on industrial policy. It’s a bad bet · June 12, 2026 · 14 min
• How grievance politics is shaping Alberta’s referendum season · June 11, 2026 · 30 min