When we think of “Power Surge” we get worried. But don’t despair! The “Power Surge” I am speaking about is the coming wave of expansion to the electric grid and electric power generation system in the USA. Why get so excited? Because all this bodes well for recruitment in the engineering design, construction, manufacturing, maintenance, and operations sectors of the electric energy industry. Why is energy so important? We are witnessing the new administration’s initiatives to “energize” the American economy, encourage new domestic manufacturing, lure foreign investment in plant and equipment, and generally unleash the entrepreneurial forces of American enterprise. Recruiters can benefit from all this by staying in tune with what is happening and being prepared to help existing clients and bring on new ones in all sectors of the energy industry. This article will expand on the ideas above and hopefully provide some guidance to recruiters.

First of all, we have to understand why energy is so important for our economic wellbeing. A fascinating article by Todd Moss and Jacob Kincer¹ clearly demonstrates the close linkage of energy and economic growth. Quoting the authors, “There are no low energy, rich countries” and importantly “…A low-energy future is a jobless future.” Emphasis added! The authors list evidence in the literature that “… links reliable, low-cost energy for firms with:”

· Productivity

· Profitability

· Job Creation

· Macroeconomic growth

Todd and Jacob illustrate the per capita correlation of electricity consumption and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the graphic below. Look where the wealthier countries (blue circles) are positioned on the graphic: the higher up and further to the right, the better.

So, if we take as a given that a robust, low-cost energy supply is a prerequisite for an economic boom, how do we get there? The first step is to recognize that we have a problem.

We have all heard about the “Grid” which refers to the complex interconnection of power generating sources and means of distribution to end users. Kate Duncan², 2021 President of the IEEE notes that: ”grid modernization is a pressing national imperative” and that “reliable generation and distribution of electricity is critically important to our economy, and to the health and safety of all…” In the same article, Will Robinson, VP of Government Relations of the IEEE notes that “today’s electrical grid faces challenges as it transitions to a modern infrastructure that meets our needs in the 21st century” and that “the grid must become more sustainable, resilient, and reliable, while remaining affordable to all customers...” Recognition of the problem is there and the demands placed on the system will drive investment in system upgrades and expansions to keep up with the demand. There should be lots of activity by transmission line designers and contractors to get the distribution aspect of the system done.

Power generation is another aspect of the grid that will change radically. Over the last decades we have seen the inclusion of many different and innovative power sources such as photovoltaic (or solar), wind, battery storage, fuel cells, and other schemes, all with varying degrees of success and all possessing pros and cons. These sources complement the more traditional sources such as hydro, nuclear, coal-fired, and gas-fired power plants. We are likely to see accelerated development of these sources to provide the power to feed into the upgraded distribution system. All these systems will require significant investment in capital and labor and the opportunities to make job placements should be quite substantial.

We are seeing announcements of large investments in manufacturing in the US.³ One example is that of datacenters, which are notoriously power-hungry and will require upgrade and/or expansion of the grid to service the demand. Y. Chen, et al., note⁴ that “Datacenters consume about 2% of the world’s electricity with continuing growth.” Some data centers are being planned with a dedicated power source to avoid any energy shortfall. In an article by Zachary Skidmore⁵ ExxonMobil is in the early stages of a project to utilize a gas-fired power generation plant to offer reliable power to datacenter customers. 

The proposed facility would minimize emissions, with 90% being eliminated by carbon-capture technology. The article also cites a $10 billion data center to be built in northeast Louisiana which will be powered by a dedicated gas-fired turbine power plant. The bottom line here is the scale of the investments being made or planned and the collateral impact on the recruiter who can potentially see an increase in placements if they are positioned correctly.

My recommendation for recruiters is to do some research on industries you serve and clients you have and consider expanding your scope to include engineering firms, manufacturers, contractors, and other firms which are likely to be involved in the upgrades discussed above. Follow the trends and be ready to offer your services to these industries. You should get set up in advance with an EOR to handle contract placements since contract hires can fill an employer’s immediate need until direct hires are found

If you would like to discuss any of these ideas or would like help defining a business strategy, please feel free to give me a call or contact me at judy@jcsrllc.com, or visit my new website at https://www.jcsrllc.com for more information.

¹ Todd Moss and Jacob Kincer. “How does energy impact economic growth? An overview of the evidence.” Energy For Growth Hub, March 7, 2023.

² Kate Duncan. “White Paper: Why (and how) America Should Upgrade Our Vulnerable Electrical Grid.” IEEE, February 25, 2021.

³ Judy Collins. “Will Manufacturing in the US Make a Come-Back?” February 2025.

⁴ Y. Chen, K. Shi, M. Chen and D. Xu, “Data Center Power Supply Systems: From Grid Edge to Point-of-Load,” in IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 2441-2456, June 2023.

⁵ Zachary Skidmore, “ExxonMobil plots natural gas power plant to exclusively power data centers.” Data Centre Dynamics, December 12, 2024.