FOR A long time, globalization was explained through a simple idea: talent would lead the way. If a country had skilled workers, strong digital systems, and the right business environment, investment and jobs would eventually follow.
That idea no longer feels complete.
Today, companies are asking a more urgent question: where will operations remain stable when the world around them feels uncertain? Recent wars and geopolitical tensions have made energy markets harder to predict. Power supply is no longer a background concern. It is now part of how companies decide where to build, expand, hire, and stay.
This affects people directly, not just companies or energy markets. When power becomes expensive or unreliable, hiring plans, work schedules, wages, training budgets, and entire communities feel the effect. For workers and people managers, energy security is now tied to job security.
When executives consider where to build the next factory, office hub, or data center, the conversation is changing. It is no longer only a question of where the talent is. It also comes down to where operations will keep running when energy supply becomes unpredictable.
This does not mean talent has become less valuable. Rather, talent now needs a stronger foundation to grow and succeed. Skills, education, and innovation attract investors, but reliable power and resilient systems help convince them to stay.
Europe: Talent-rich, energy-strained
Look at Europe. It still has some of the world’s top engineers, designers, researchers, and industrial workers. What it struggles with is energy that remains expensive and, at times, unpredictable.
Businesses are taking notice.
In energy-intensive sectors, high power costs have become a direct challenge to competitiveness. The European Commission has recognized that gas prices have not fully returned to pre-crisis levels and that this affects the competitiveness of European industry. The International Energy Agency also reported that electricity prices for energy-intensive industries in the European Union stayed elevated in 2025, averaging more than twice U.S. levels and almost 50 percent higher than prices in China.
For manufacturers, this is not just an energy story. When power costs rise, expansion plans slow down, hiring becomes more cautious, and workers feel the pressure long before the numbers appear in public reports. BASF, for example, has identified rising energy prices as a risk that could increase production costs. For industries that depend heavily on electricity and gas, this kind of pressure affects both daily operations and future expansion.
Energy costs have moved from a background concern to a central factor in how companies evaluate locations. Many firms now look more carefully at whether a site offers stable and affordable power before deciding to expand, relocate, or open new facilities.
European policymakers know the stakes. Until energy bills become lower or more predictable, manufacturers will keep asking the same question: is Europe still the best place to invest?
To be fair, Europe is not standing still. Its push toward cleaner energy and stronger industrial policies could help it regain ground over time. But for many employers, the immediate concern is practical: keep plants open, protect jobs, and plan expansion without being overwhelmed by power costs.
United States: The new magnet for energy-secure jobs
Take a look at the United States.
The country combines abundant energy resources, major grid investments, and a business environment that supports large, power-hungry projects. Together, these factors are turning business plans into real investments.
Tech companies are expanding quickly. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta are investing heavily in data centers. These facilities need reliable electricity because their operations run around the clock. A striking example is Amazon’s announced $12 billion investment in new data center campuses in Louisiana, a project expected to create 540 full-time data center jobs and support many more roles in related fields.
The power demand behind this growth is easy to overlook until the numbers are placed beside it. Data centers that support AI and cloud computing use huge amounts of electricity. Pew Research reported that data centers accounted for about 4 percent of total U.S. electricity use in 2024, with demand expected to more than double by 2030.
This is where energy security turns into a labor issue. The jobs follow the places where power is stable enough to support the machines, servers, and systems that now carry modern work.
The United States also faces its own test. Data centers, advanced manufacturing, and electrified industries will require more power, better transmission, and careful planning. Energy security is not guaranteed. If the U.S. fails to keep up with demand, today’s advantage could become tomorrow’s problem. (To be continued)/PN
