Employment expanded across several US bioenergy industries in 2025, with jobs in corn ethanol, renewable diesel and biodiesel, and bioenergy electricity generation increasing during the year, according to the US Department of Energy’s 2026 US Energy and Employment Report.
The report shows that employment growth was accompanied by persistent recruitment challenges across the sectors. Employers particularly reported difficulty finding managers, engineers and scientists, and technicians or mechanical support workers.
The figures provide a snapshot of employment across the US bioenergy economy in 2025 and highlight the workforce requirements associated with fuel production and biomass-based power generation.
Corn ethanol employment edges higher
The US corn ethanol industry employed approximately 36,100 workers in 2025, representing a 0.1% increase from 2024.
Agriculture and forestry accounted for the largest share of employment at 46%, followed by manufacturing at 26%, wholesale trade at 20% and professional and business services at 7%. Other services represented less than 1% of employment.
The distribution of jobs varied across subsectors. Employment in wholesale trade increased 6.6% between 2024 and 2025, while professional and business services employment declined 8.5%.
Hiring remained a challenge. Overall, 56% of corn ethanol employers reported at least some difficulty recruiting workers, rising to 83% among employers in wholesale trade.
The occupations identified as most difficult to fill included technicians or mechanical support, management, and engineers and scientists.
Veterans represented approximately 16% of the corn ethanol workforce, compared with 5% of the total US workforce. Women accounted for 31% of corn ethanol workers, compared with 26% for both the US fuels workforce and the broader US energy economy workforce, according to the DOE report.
Renewable diesel and biodiesel sector records growth
Employment in the report’s “other biofuels” category, which includes biodiesel and renewable diesel, reached approximately 42,300 workers in 2025. That was 0.8% higher than the previous year.
Professional and business services represented 65% of employment, while wholesale trade accounted for 18%, manufacturing 9%, agriculture and forestry 7%, and other services less than 1%. Recruitment difficulties were particularly pronounced in this segment. Approximately 87% of employers reported at least some difficulty hiring workers.
Professional and business services recorded the highest reported hiring difficulty, at 94%, followed by wholesale trade at 90%. Management, engineers and scientists, and technicians or mechanical support were the occupations employers found most difficult to fill.
Veterans accounted for 12% of workers in other biofuels, compared with 5% across the total US workforce. Women represented 34% of the workforce, above the 26% shares reported for the US fuels workforce and US energy economy.
Biomass power employment rises despite capacity decline
Bioenergy electric power generation (EPG) also recorded employment growth in 2025, despite a reduction in generating capacity during the year.
The DOE report links the divergence to new capacity expected to come online in 2026 and 2027. US Energy Information Administration survey respondents reported planned additions of approximately 75 MW of biomass capacity in the 12 months following April 2026, compared with a net decline of about 230 MW during the preceding year.
As of December 2025, approximately 87 MW of bioenergy EPG capacity was under construction. The DOE said this helps explain higher employment associated with construction and manufacturing during 2025.
Total bioenergy EPG employment reached approximately 14,400 workers. The supplied report states this was up 8.2% compared with 2014.
Construction represented 42% of employment, followed by professional and business services at 24%, utilities at 16%, manufacturing at 9%, wholesale trade at 5% and other services at 3%.
Hiring challenges were reported by 54% of bioenergy EPG employers. Manufacturing employers reported a 67% rate of at least some difficulty hiring, while the corresponding figure for professional and business services was 66%.
Management, technicians or mechanical support, and engineers or scientists were the occupations most difficult to fill.
Veterans accounted for approximately 11% of bioenergy EPG workers, compared with 5% of the total US workforce. Women represented 30% of the workforce, compared with 29% of total EPG employment and 26% of the US energy economy.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
The DOE employment data points to a common workforce challenge across different parts of the US bioenergy sector. Even where employment growth is modest, employers continue to report difficulty filling technical, engineering and management positions. This suggests that workforce availability is an operational consideration alongside feedstock, infrastructure and market conditions for bioenergy businesses.
The biomass power figures also illustrate the importance of distinguishing employment trends from installed capacity trends. Although the sector experienced a capacity decline during the reported period, construction activity associated with projects expected to enter service in 2026 and 2027 contributed to employment in 2025.
For ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel producers, the data similarly shows that biofuel employment extends beyond plant operations into agriculture and forestry, manufacturing, wholesale trade and professional services. The relatively high hiring-difficulty rates reported across these industries underline the importance of maintaining access to specialised technical and professional workers as the US bioenergy market develops.
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