Accelerate & ChargePoint Highlight Potential of Canada’s Industry-Wide EV Installation Job Market

February 6, 2023

Accelerate, Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Supply Chain Alliance, and ChargePoint, a leading electric vehicle charging network, released a report by Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors, which provides a snapshot of the potential for industry-wide EV installation jobs based on projected demand for EV chargers in Canada.  The report, EV Charging and Jobs in Canada, provides an initial assessment of the jobs required for EV charging installations, highlighting the need for continued workforce development to support a successful transition to ZEVs in Canada.

Prior Natural Resources Canada estimates indicate that by 2035 Canada will need up to 475,000 public charging ports and over 2 million ports in multi-unit residential buildings. The new report estimates that by 2035, up to 3,500 total full-time equivalent positions may need to be filled for critical roles across ZEV charging infrastructure, such as electricians or civil and general contractors.  The report notes that these jobs are already in demand in every corner of Canada, and with an aging demographic in the skilled trades, ensuring the stability of the labour market for these skilled trades is critical to Canada’s net-zero transition. 

“We believe the movement towards mass adoption of zero-emission vehicles in Canada will be a catalyst for job creation across the supply chain,” said Matthew Fortier, CEO of Accelerate.   “This report provides the industry and policymakers with a broad look at how quickly the demand for labour will ramp up and what kinds of roles are required to meet that demand.  Applying a whole of supply chain approach to job creation will ensure Canada fully realizes this great potential and supports the scale and pace of deployment needed to support future ZEV drivers.”   

In addition to the estimated 3,500 direct jobs EV charging infrastructure will generate, the EV Charging and Jobs in Canada report also outlines that indirect job creation benefits will also be generated throughout the supply chain, including upstream jobs associated with electricity production to fuel the site, necessary changes to the transmission and distribution network, manufacturing of electrical distribution equipment and transformers, transportation of equipment to each site, anddownstream jobs associated with EV charging network operators and producers, and charging station maintenance. 

“As Canadians transition to EVs, they will need access to charging at home, around town, and close to highways,” said Suzanne Goldberg, senior director of public policy, ChargePoint.  “This report highlights the job creation potential with large-scale deployment of EV charging stations to meet the needs of Canadian drivers in 2035. With more than 19,000 public chargers currently deployed across the country and an estimated need of 475,000, plus additional multi-unit residential building ports in just over ten years, there is immense opportunity for the current and next generation of skilled tradespeople in Canada’s labour market.” 

This study provides an initial assessment of what may be required to facilitate an important part of the transition to ZEVs. Ongoing analysis and investment in targeted skills development and training and continued efforts to attract high school and post-secondary students will also be necessary to meet this need. Recruitment should also extend to underrepresented communities in the trades, such as women and Indigenous persons, to ensure that the benefits of the transition are felt by everyone. 

About ChargePoint

ChargePoint is creating a new fueling network to move people and goods on electricity. Since 2007, ChargePoint has been committed to making it easy for businesses and drivers to go electric with one of the largest EV charging networks in North America and Europe and a comprehensive portfolio of charging solutions. The ChargePoint cloud subscription platform and software-defined charging hardware are designed to include options for every charging scenario from home and multifamily to workplace, parking, hospitality, retail and transport fleets of all types. Today, one ChargePoint account provides access to hundreds of thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe. To date, more than 133 million charging sessions have been delivered, with drivers plugging into the ChargePoint network on average every second.

For more information, visit the ChargePoint pressroom, the ChargePoint Investor Relations site, or contact the ChargePoint North American or European press offices or Investor Relations.