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01 GLOBAL OVERVIEW
Sidebar 2. Jobs in Renewable Energy
Employment in the renewable energy sector increased by 5% in
2015, to 8.1 million jobs (direct and indirect), as estimated by IRENAi.
(p See Table 1 and Figure 5.) Solar PV and wind power remained
the most dynamic markets, while solar PV and biofuels provided
the largest numbers of jobs. In addition, large-scale hydropower
accounted for another 1.3 million direct jobs in 2015.
Renewable energy markets and employment were characterised
by favourable policy frameworks in several countries, regional shifts
in investment and increased labour productivity. Enabling policy
frameworks remained a key driver of employment, as illustrated by
the ambitious solar targets in India and the wind energy auctions,
coupled with financing rules to encourage local content, in Brazil.
Greater renewable energy deployment, particularly in Asia, and
sluggish markets in Europe continued to drive regional shifts in
employment numbers. Meanwhile, increasing labour productivity
and automation have negatively affected employment in certain
technologies, such as solar PV and bioenergy. Although growth in
jobs was slower in 2015 than in previous years, the total number of
jobs worldwide continued to rise, in stark contrast with depressed
labour markets in the broader energy sector.
Record solar PV deployment enhanced job creation, with the
number of jobs up 11% over the 2014 estimate. China was the
undisputed leader in solar PV employment in 2015, with 1.7
million jobs, followed by Japan and the United States. India
continued to emerge as a major market, and the number of jobs
in the sector increased accordingly. In the EU, however, solar PV
employment decreased by 13% in 2014, the most recent year for
which data are available.
Employment in liquid biofuels declined by an estimated 6% in
2015, even as global production rose relative to 2014, due mainly to
increasing mechanisation in some countries. The United States and
Brazil, for example, saw minor job losses even as biofuel production
rose. In the EU, biofuel employment was up 8% in 2014. In Southeast
Asia, Malaysia and Thailand increased production to meet growing
domestic demand in 2015, creating new job opportunities. Indonesia,
however, suffered job losses as exports declined.
Wind power witnessed a record year with strong market growth in
several countries. As result, global employment was up 5%, with close
to half of all wind power jobs in China. Germany and the United States
also were top players in 2015, followed by India and Brazil.
In solar heating and cooling, China continued to lead but suffered
job losses for the second year running due to the economic
slowdown, the reduced demand in the real estate industry and the
removal of subsidies in 2013. Turkey, India, Brazil, the United States
and the EU also are major employers in solar heating and cooling.
Employment in the small-scale hydropower industry decreased by
5% in 2015, due largely to job retrenchments in China. IRENA’s
estimates indicate that global employment in large-scale
hydropowerii totalled 1.3 million direct jobs, dominated by positions
in operation and maintenance. China, Brazil and India were the
leading employers.
Considering all renewable energy technologies, the leading
employers in 2015 were China, Brazil, the United States and India.
The global top 10 employers include four countries from Asia,
compared with only three in 2013.
China accounted for more than one-third of global renewable
energy installations in 2015 and led employment with 3.5 million
jobs. Marginal gains in solar PV and wind power were offset
somewhat by losses in the solar heating and cooling and smallscale
hydropower sectors. In addition, employment in large-scale
hydropower in China supported around 440,000 direct jobs, most
of which were in construction.
For the fourth year in a row, the EU registered renewable energy
job losses in 2014 (the latest available data). Employment fell by
3% due to decreasing investments and adverse policy conditions
in some countries. Europe’s wind industry provided most of the
jobs. As of 2014, employment in the solar PV industry was just
one-third of its 2011 peak. Despite a 32% decline in solar PV
employment, in 2014 Germany remained the leading renewable
energy employer by far – with almost as many jobs as the next
three countries combined (France, the United Kingdom and Italy).
Renewable energy employment in the United States increased by
6% in 2015. All solar (solar PV, CSP and solar heating and cooling)
employment rose by 22%, with most of these jobs in installation of
residential solar PV rooftop systems. Women represented 24% of
the solar workforce, up from 19% in 2013. Wind power employment
also increased, and prospects for future growth improved with the
multi-year extension of the Production Tax Credit in December.
In Brazil, most renewables employment was found in bioenergy and
large-scale hydropower. Jobs in the wind sector are increasing due
to rising deployment and local manufacturing. Elsewhere in Latin
America, jobs also are increasing in the wind and solar sectors.
The Indian solar and wind power markets have seen substantial
activity as the ambitious renewable energy targets are translated
into concrete policy frameworks. Central and state auctions for
solar PV contributed to the installation of 2 GW in 2015 and to an
impressive pipeline of 23 GW. Employment in solar PV expanded
by 23% in 2015, and jobs in the wind sector also rose.
Japan experienced notable gains in solar PV deployment in recent
years, resulting in a 28% increase in employment in 2014. It is
likely that there was additional job growth in 2015; however, recent
reductions in feed-in-tariffs may change the upward trend.
Africa presents specific data challenges, but it is clear that a number
of solar PV, wind and geothermal power projects in Egypt, Kenya,
Morocco and South Africa created new jobs. IRENA estimates that
the continent had more than 60,000 renewable energy jobs (not
including large-scale hydropower) in 2015. Close to one-half of these
jobs are in South Africa and about one-fourth are in northern Africa.
i
This sidebar is drawn from IRENA, Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2016. Data are principally for 2014–2015, with dates varying by country and
technology, including some instances where only dated information is available.
ii
IRENA defines large-scale hydropower as projects above 10 MW. Definitions may vary across IRENA member countries. Projects below 10 MW are considered
as small-scale hydropower.
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