According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), based in Abu Dhabi, the renewable energy sector employed 9.8 million people worldwide in 2016, a clear increase over 2012.
In the report ‘Renewable energy and jobs – Annual balance 2017’, IRENA said that the sector hired seven million people in 2012.
In four years, the figure has increased by about 2.8 million jobs, due to
lower costs and the adoption of favorable policies, which have stimulated investment and employment… For example, in the last four years the number of jobs in the photovoltaic and wind power sector has doubled,”
said IRENA CEO Adnan Amin.
The number of workers in the renewable energy sector, with the exception of hydroelectric power, reached 8.3 million in 2016. If you count the direct jobs in the big hydraulic projects, the number increases to 9.8 million jobs.
China, Brazil, the United States, India, Japan and Germany are the countries that create more jobs in this sector, according to IRENA.
The report also underlines that 62% of global jobs are in Asia. In this region, installation and manufacturing work has multiplied, especially in Malaysia and Thailand.
Amin said he expects the number of workers in renewable energy to reach
24 million by 2030, to offset the loss of jobs in the fossil fuel sector and become the world’s largest economic engine.”