Cross-industry LinkedIn data reveals company engagement in the European energy transition

Company engagement is a critical driver of European energy transition (ET). However, cross-industry analyses of this engagement remain limited, hindering the knowledge to support the ET. This study has employed a data-driven method combining statistical and content analyses to reveal the roles of companies and individual expertise in cross-industry ET within 27 European Union (EU) countries and the United Kingdom (UK) based on LinkedIn data. The findings indicate that advanced economies and supportive policies are vital for company engagement in the ET. The EU Green Deal and other initiatives may have prompted the establishment of 40 % of these companies. Significant regional differences in employee engagement in ET sectors were observed, which could be attributed to regional educational and skill differences. Furthermore, industries related to renewable energy and services are predominantly engaged in ET, with renewable energy and electrification technologies being vital in the ET job market. To ensure a balanced and inclusive ET, targeted policies are essential to support lagging regions, engage heavy industries, and align education with market needs. These findings can enhance the understanding of stakeholders on expertise needs in European ET, while the methodology could also be applied to other text-based topic analyses.