The renewable energy industry will employ 13.7 million people in 2022, one million more than last year. This number is almost double the 7.3 million employed in 2012. Employment in the sector has continued to grow worldwide since 2012, the year the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) began its annual assessment .
The solar photovoltaics industry was also the largest employer last year, with 4.9 million jobs. Bioenergy, hydropower and wind energy followed.
IRENA Director General Francesco La Camera called 2022 “an excellent year” for renewable energy employment, but recalled that creating millions of additional jobs will require a much faster pace of investment in energy transition technologies.