Significant growth in fusion workforce needed| FIA finds

The fusion industry is growing rapidly and needs a range of specific skills both directly and in the supply chain, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) has indicated.

In a new report the FIA highlights the over $7 billion in investment the fusion industry has attracted, with new companies continuing to emerge and the majority of them – 89% – believing that by 2035 fusion plants will be delivering electricity to the grid.

In line with this, the number of employees also has grown, based on fusion company self-reported figures, from almost 1,100 in 23 companies in 2021 to over 4,100 in 43 companies in 2024.

This evolution also has seen massive growth in supply chain spending, from almost $485 billion in 2022 to over $612 billion in 2023 with a further 21% increase projected for 2024.

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Around 5,900 jobs are supported currently in the supply chain, the fusion companies have estimated.

Fusion workforce needs

Looking ahead, as companies advance the technology, the needs in all areas will scale slowly but then very rapidly as commercial fusion machines start to be deployed, the Association states in its report.

There will be a sudden demand for skilled people who can produce parts and assemble and instal fusion machines at a huge scale, while the much expanded fusion supply chain – in fact, multiple supply chains – will create many more jobs.

Many expect that fusion skills will mostly come from physics PhDs, but in reality the needs are rapidly growing beyond this niche, the Association adds.

As concepts are proven, there will be a big increased demand for engineers, manufacturers, installers and more.

For example, specific skills requirements identified include developing advanced components for heat management, plasma-facing first walls and vacuum pumps/chambers, while precision engineering skills for vacuum chambers, high temperature superconducting wire and laser components also are expected to grow rapidly.

Other areas of future demand highlighted are for plasma physicists, nuclear and plant process engineers, fusion design and assembly engineers and those experienced in navigating the new regulatory frameworks.

Pointing to workforce development as being crucial to large-scale fusion energy production, the FIA indicates recommendations that have emerged, based on its research and input from private companies, including governments establishing dedicated programmes to enhance education and training in energy related field including fusion energy.

Grants should be provided to both educational institutions for training and to businesses for trainees and fusion companies should form academic partnerships to co-develop courses and training for the future workforce.

Governments also should establish resource centres and skills guidelines, support R&D programmes and increase outreach to minority-serving institutions and unemployed and displaced workers, for example those leaving the fossil fuel sector to be enabled to transition into fusion energy roles.

The Association also calls for clear regulatory frameworks, public-private partnerships and international collaboration to drive the industry’s growth and ensure the development of the necessary skills.