Renewable Energies and Jobs: 2022 Annual Review, identifies the size of the domestic market as a major factor influencing employment growth in renewables, as well as labor and other costs.
The fastest growing solar
Solar energy has proven to be the fastest growing sector. In 2021, it provided 4.3 million jobsmore than a third of the current global workforce in renewable energy.
With growing concerns about climate change, COVID-19[feminine] recovery and supply chain disruption, countries are looking inward to drive job creation at home, focusing on local supply chains.
The report describes how strong domestic markets are key to anchoring the clean energy industrialization momentum. The development of export capacities for renewable technologies also depends on it, he adds.
“A just transition for all”
ILO Managing Director Guy Ryder said that “Beyond the numbers, there is a growing attention to job quality and working conditions in renewable energies, to ensure decent and productive jobs.
“TThe growing share of female employment suggests that dedicated policies and training can significantly improve women’s participation in the renewable energy professions, inclusion and, ultimately, achieving a just transition for all.
Mr. Ryder encouraged governments, organized labor and business groups “to remain resolutely committed to a sustainable energy transition, what is essential for the future of work.”
Resilient and reliable
Director General of IRENA, Francesco La Camera, said that in the face of many challenges, “renewable energy jobs remain resilient and have proven to be a reliable job creation engine. My advice to governments around the world is to pursue industrial policies that encourage the expansion of decent renewable energy jobs at home.
“Boosting a national value chain will not only create business opportunities and new jobs for local people and communities. This also enhances supply chain reliability and contributes to greater global energy security.
IMF/Crispin Rodwell
More electric vehicles on the road will mean less pollution and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Join the renewable revolution
The report shows that an increasing many countries are creating jobs in the rrenewable energy sector – almost two-thirds of them in Asia.
China alone accounts for 42% of the global totalaccording to the report, followed by the EU and Brazil with 10% each, and the US and India with 7% each.
Regional trends
Southeast Asian countries are become major solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing centers and biofuel producers, while China is the main manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic solar panels and creates a growing number of jobs in offshore wind.
India has added more than 10 gigawatts of solar PV panels, generating many installation jobs, but remains heavily dependent on imported panels, the report notes.
Europe now accounts for approximately 40 percent of global wind power generation and is the largest exporter of wind power equipment; it is trying to rebuild its photovoltaic solar panel manufacturing industry.
A fRica’s role is still limit, but the report highlights that there are more and more employment opportunities in decentralized renewable energy, while In the Americas, Mexic is leading supplier of wind turbine blades.
Brazil remains the largest employer in the field of biofuels, but also creates many jobs in wind and solar photovoltaic installations. The United States is beginning to build a domestic industrial base for the booming offshore wind sector.