NEW DELHI: A new analysis reveals that migrant workers are facing systemic labour abuse in industries at the forefront of the energy transition. Hundreds of documented cases revealed failures by companies to tackle structural drivers of exploitation, risking a transition that entrenches the same inequalities and abuses of past industrialisation.
In 2025, the Business and Human Rights Centre(BHRC) recorded 747 allegations of abuse against migrant workers globally, including many linked directly to industries driving the energy transition – from critical mineral production and electric vehicle manufacturing to renewable energy infrastructure development.
Multinationals driving elements of the energy transition were linked to this abuse, including Tesla and Hyundai (three cases each). The report warns of the urgent need for companies to ensure the shift to clean energy is not only fast, but also fair through respect for the rights of these essential workers.
Migrant workers participate in every facet of the energy transition: they mine and produce nickel, cobalt and alumina for electric vehicle batteries, install renewable energy infrastructure, build sustainable urban development projects and manufacture electric vehicles.
However, in 2025 alone, BHRC recorded 23 cases of migrant worker abuse in industries crucial to the energy transition. It includes seven cases in transition mineral production, six in EV supply chains, three in sustainable urban development, three in recycling and re-commerce, two in renewable and low-carbon energy, and one case each in eco-tourism and low-carbon cement kiln construction.
Cases related to green economy were disproportionately linked to excessive production targets and unreasonable working hours. Safety violations were recorded in over half (52%) of these cases – higher than across the wider database (25%). “Climate solutions cannot be built on exploitation,” said Catriona Fraser, Migrant Workers Researcher at BHRC. “With the green economy expected to surpass USD7 trillion in annual value by 2030, companies reaping huge profits from this transition must ensure the rights of migrant workers are respected,” she further adds.