Global employment in the clean energy sector continues to grow in times of crisis. Record for the photovoltaic one with 4,9 million employed in the world
Published the tenth edition of Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2023
How many jobs did the renewable energy sector create in 2022? The answer is the annual publication of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Now in its tenth edition, the Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2023 offers an in-depth look at the world of employment in green energy and once again confirms photovoltaics as the main employer. It is to this segment that 4.9 million of the 13.7 million employees belong.
“2022 was another exceptional year for jobs in the renewable energy sector, amid multiple challenges,” stressed Francesco La Camera, Director General of IRENA, during the presentation of the analysis. “But to create many more millions of jobs, the pace of investment in energy transition technologies will need to be accelerated”.
The report highlights how renewable sources are attracting increasing investment and increasing the number of jobs in more and more countries. However, as in previous years, most of the opportunities are concentrated in a few realities, especially in China, which accounts for 41% of the global total. Others include Brazil, the European Union (EU), India and the United States of America. Together they account for most of the global renewable installed capacity and play a key role in manufacturing equipment, engineering and associated services.
In terms of technology, photovoltaics is the master, concentrating more than a third of the global workforce in the industry. Next comes hydropower and biofuels, whose employment is similar to that of 2021, about 2.5 million each. Then comes wind power with 1.4 million jobs.
The document shows that many countries are showing a growing interest in locating supply chains and creating jobs at national level, with the support of appropriate industrial policies. This goes hand in hand with the growing desire to reduce insecurities in energy supply.
