New report underscores the importance of
holistic policies and investments in support of building a skilled
and diverse workforce.
ABU DHABI, UAE and GENEVA, Oct. 1,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 2023 saw the highest ever increase in
renewable energy jobs, from 13.7 million in 2022 to 16.2 million,
according to the newly released Renewable Energy and Jobs –
Annual Review 2024 by the International Renewable Energy
Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The
18% year-on-year leap reflects the strong growth of
renewables generating capacities, together with a continued
expansion of equipment manufacturing.
A closer look at the report's data, however, shows an uneven
global picture. Close to two-thirds of new global solar and wind
capacity were installed in China
alone last year.
China leads with an estimated
7.4 million renewable energy jobs, or 46% of the global total. The
EU followed suit with 1.8 million, Brazil with 1.56 million, and the United States and India, each with close to 1 million jobs.
As in the past few years, the strongest impetus came from the
rapidly growing solar photovoltaics (PV) sector, which supported
7.2 million jobs globally. Of these, 4.6 million were in
China, the dominant PV
manufacturer and installer. Enabled by significant Chinese
investments, Southeast Asia has
emerged as an important export hub of solar PV, creating jobs in
the region.
Liquid biofuels had the second-largest number of jobs, followed
by hydropower and wind. Brazil
topped the biofuels ranks, accounting for one third of the world's
2.8 million jobs in this sector. Soaring production put
Indonesia in second, with a
quarter of global biofuels jobs.
Due to a slowdown in deployment, hydropower became an outlier to
the overall growth trend, with the number of direct jobs estimated
to have shrunk from 2.5 million in 2022 to 2.3 million.
China, India, Brazil, Vietnam and Pakistan were the largest employers in the
industry.
In the wind sector, China and
Europe remain dominant. As leaders
in turbine manufacturing and installations, they contributed 52%
and 21% to the global total of 1.5 million jobs, respectively.
Despite immense resource potential, Africa continues to receive only a small share
of global renewables investments, which translated into a total of
324,000 renewables jobs in 2023. For regions in urgent need of
reliable and sustainable energy access like Africa, and especially in remote areas,
decentralised renewable energy (DRE) solutions--stand-alone systems
that are not connected to the utility grids--present an opportunity
to both plug the access gap and generate jobs. Removing barriers
for women to start entrepreneurship initiatives in DRE can
stimulate the sector, resulting in improved local economies and
energy equity.
Acknowledging the high degree of geographic concentration,
Francesco La Camera, IRENA
Director-General, said, "The story of the energy transition
and its socio-economic gains should not be about one or two
regions. If we are all to fulfil our collective pledge to triple
renewable power capacity by 2030, the world must step up its game
and support marginalised regions in addressing barriers impeding
their transitions progress. Strengthened international
collaboration can mobilise increased finance towards policy support
and capacity building in countries that are yet to benefit from
renewables job creation."
To meet the energy transitions' growing demand for diverse
skills and talents, policies must support measures in favour of
greater workforce diversity and gender equity. Representing 32% of
the renewables total workforce, women continue to hold an unequal
share even as the number of jobs keeps rising. It is essential that
education and trainings lead to diverse job opportunities for
women, youth, and members of minority and disadvantaged groups.
"Investing in education, skills, and training helps reskill all
workers from fossil fuel sectors, address gender or other
disparities, and prepare the workforce for new clean energy roles.
It is essential if we are to equip workers with the knowledge and
skills that they need to get decent jobs, and to ensure that the
energy transition is a just and sustainable one. A sustainable
transition is what the Paris Agreement requires of us, and what we
committed to achieving when we signed up to the Agreement,"
explained ILO Director-General, Gilbert F.
Houngbo.
This 11th edition of the Annual Review is
part of IRENA's extensive analytical work on the socio-economic
impacts of a renewables-based energy transition. This edition—which
is the 4th edition developed in collaboration with
ILO--underscores the importance of a people- and planet-centred
approach to achieve a just and inclusive transition. It calls for a
holistic policy framework that goes beyond the pursuit of
technological innovation to rapidly meet the tripling target at the
lowest-possible cost, and prioritises local value creation, ensures
the creation of decent jobs, and builds on active participation by
workers and communities in shaping the energy
transition. Building on its expertise on the world of work,
the ILO contributed the report's chapter on skills.
About IRENA
IRENA is the lead intergovernmental agency for the
renewables-based energy transition in pursuit of a systemic change
across the energy sectors. A global energy agency comprised of
169 countries and the EU, with 14 additional countries in
accession, IRENA provides knowledge, technical assistance and
capacity building, project and investment facilitation.
The Agency enables international cooperation and partnerships to
fight climate change and promote sustainable development, energy
access, energy security and resilient economies and societies.
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