“How many jobs are available in public utilities?” sounds like one number, but electric, gas, water and wastewater employers report openings under many job titles. Even the term public utilities can include publicly owned departments, cooperatives and regulated private companies. A more useful answer combines occupational data with a local employer search.
Three numbers to understand—not confuse
| BLS occupation | 2025 employed workers | Average openings projected per year, 2025–2035 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical power-line installers and repairers | About 131,900 | About 10,900 |
| Water and wastewater treatment operators | About 131,000 | About 10,000 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics / maintenance workers / millwrights (group) | About 547,300 | About 51,900 |
These categories are not additive public-utility totals: some workers are employed by construction, manufacturing or other organizations. The openings are 10-year projection averages, not currently advertised positions. BLS occupation pages: lineworkers, water operators and industrial maintenance.
Jobs that tend to be missed by broad searches
- Field: meter technician, apprentice lineworker, plant operator trainee, electrical technician.
- Office: utility billing clerk, customer accounts, permit technician, outage communications assistant.
- Coordination: dispatcher, maintenance planner, work-order scheduler, procurement assistant.
- Technical: SCADA technician, relay technician, instrument/control technician—often require technical training.
Find the actual employers in your area
Search for your city water utility, county wastewater district, electric cooperative and regional power distributor. Then open each employer’s career page. Some use government hiring portals, while others have their own applicant-tracking systems. Also check their construction and maintenance contractors.
A simple example
A person with hotel night-audit experience may be a better candidate for utility customer billing or dispatch than a lineworker apprenticeship. They can point to balancing accounts, incident logs and overnight problem solving. Someone with mechanical repair experience can instead search for pump maintenance assistant or plant operator trainee.
Apprenticeship vs. job listing: do not mix them up
A registered apprenticeship provides structured paid training, but openings may follow set recruitment windows. A current job listing may require completed qualifications. Check Apprenticeship.gov and the specific utility’s workforce pages. For water treatment, check state operator credentials and whether the employer pays for licensing.
For salary ranges and schedules, read the utilities pay guide. For local searches, use Jobs Near Me and save the direct job URLs instead of trusting recycled postings.