A new report shows that renewable energy jobs have reached a global record high.
Renewable energy employment worldwide reached a staggering 12 million last year, up from 11.5 million in 2019. This is according to a newly released report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The report, the eighth edition of Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2021, found that the solar photovoltaics (PV) industry employs the largest proportion of workers in the worldwide renewable energy jobs market, accounting for a third of the total workforce, at 4 million workers.
Solar PV has added 127 GW of new global capacity in 2020, up from 98 GW in 2019. More than 60% of this, almost 78 GW, was added in Asia. Wind power is also performing strongly, currently supporting 1.25 million renewable energy jobs worldwide.
The report highlights there have been several key limitations which have impacted the global trend towards a larger renewable sector. One sector where employment has decreased slightly is liquid biofuels, as demand for transport fuels fell due to the effects of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused turbulence in other sectors of the renewable jobs market, causing delays and supply chain disruptions. Off-grid renewables was among the sectors that performed worse due to COVID, with capacity additions during 2020 at a considerably lower level than in 2019.
“Renewable energy’s ability to create jobs and meet climate goals is beyond doubt,’’ said Francesco la Camera, IRENA Director-General. ‘‘Governments must raise their ambition to reach net zero.”
“The potential for renewable energies to generate decent work is a clear indication that we do not have to choose between environmental sustainability on the one hand, and employment creation on the other,” said Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General. “The two can go hand-in-hand.”
The report made several key projections about future growth in the renewables job market which is set to keep on growing globally for the foreseeable future.
The renewable energy sector could account for 38 million jobs by 2030 and 43 million by 2050, double the number under current policies and pledges.
As is the case today, solar will make up the largest share of renewable energy jobs in 2050, with 19.9 million jobs, followed by bioenergy (13.7 million), wind (5.5 million) and hydropower (3.7 million).
