The transition to renewable energy has been on the rise in the last few years. An ever-growing alliance of organizations and associations has pledged their allegiance to green energy and the fight against carbon emissions. Today, more than 70 countries have taken the pledge.
The latest renewable energy job creation statistics reveal that employment in clean energy has already surpassed the 50% mark, and more than half of the jobs in the global energy industry are now related to renewable energy, rather than fossil fuels.
Read on to find out more about the transition to green energy and the jobs it creates.
Top 10 Renewable Energy Job Creation Statistics and Facts
Global renewable energy industries employ 12.7 million people around the world.
The Asian industry employs two-thirds of the entire global renewable energy workforce.
4.29 million green energy employees work in the solar photovoltaic sector.
The transition to clean energy could generate 10.3 million job positions globally by 2030.
Net Zero emissions jobs account for 40% of all energy jobs in the USA.
Employment in the US fuel industry is down by 3.1%.
Solar energy companies employ 333,887 people in the US.
The number of Americans employed by wind energy companies is 120,164.
64,514 US employees work in hydropower companies.
Bioenergy companies employ 12,388 Americans.
General Renewable Energy Employment Statistics
Global renewable energy industries employ 12.7 million people around the world.
Global stats on employment in the renewable energy sector indicate that the number of people working in green energy has constantly been increasing in the past decade.
The data goes back to 2012, when only 7.2 million worked in the industry globally. By 2015, their number had grown to 10 million, and by 2018, their number had reached 11.1 million.
(Statista)
The Asian industry employs two-thirds of the entire global renewable energy workforce.
By region, China is the world’s biggest employer, currently accounting for 42% of all the jobs in the renewable energy industry.
An equal portion of 10% of the global green energy workforce is employed in the EU’s and Brazil’s industries, while the US and India’s industries each employ 7% of all the workers.
(IRENA)
4.29 million green energy employees work in the solar photovoltaic sector.
Data reveals that the solar photovoltaic sector employs the largest portion of green energy workers, followed by the bioenergy sector, where 3.44 million people are employed.
Another 2.37 million green energy employees work in hydropower, 1.37 million in wind energy, 770,000 in solar heating and cooling, and 430,000 work other jobs created by renewable energy.
(IRENA)
The transition to clean energy could generate 10.3 million job positions globally by 2030.
According to the latest forecasts, the renewable energy industry is expected to create 13.3 million jobs by 2030.
The biggest portion, or 3.2 million positions, is expected to be opened in the efficiency sector. The green cars and power generation sectors are expected to generate another 2.6 million jobs each.
However, a total of 3 million job positions are also expected to be lost, with the oil and gas sector being the biggest loser of 2.1 million jobs.
(Visual Capitalist)
Statistics on Green Energy Jobs in the US
Net Zero emissions jobs account for 40% of all energy jobs in the USA.
After creating 24,006 new jobs in 2021, the US electric power generation industry currently employs 857,579 people.
According to the most recent data, employment across the entire US energy industry grew by 2.9%, with all renewable subtechnologies increasing the number of jobs they provide.
At the same time, employment in the coal and nuclear energy sectors decreased by 0.5% and 4.2%, tilting the scales of jobs created by renewable energy vs. coal in favor of green energy sources.
(Energy Gov)
Employment in the US fuel industry is down by 3.1%.
After decreasing by 29,270 jobs, the industry currently employs 908,422 Americans.
31,593 jobs were lost in the petroleum sector, and additional 7,125 jobs were lost in the coal fuel sector.
In the meantime, the renewable biofuel sector experienced 6.7% growth, after creating 1,180 new jobs.
Additionally, 1,136 new jobs were created in smart grids, 4,027 in renewable heating and cooling, and 4,160 in the hydrogen fuel cell sector, indicating renewable energy job growth across the entire industry.
(Energy Gov)
Solar energy companies employ 333,887 people in the US.
Compared to the 316,675 workers they employed in 2020, data indicates an increase of 17,212 employers, or 5.4% annual growth.
The construction industry created the largest number, or 8,539, of new jobs for solar energy workers, while the utilities sector experienced the largest growth of 50%, from 4,077 to 6,132 jobs.
Lastly, employers in four out of six industries estimated solar energy job growth of between 2% and 6.9% for 2022.
(Energy Gov)
The number of Americans employed by wind energy companies is 120,164.
The number of wind workers in the US has increased by 3,347 jobs, which indicates a 2.9% growth compared to 2020, or by 5,390 jobs, or a 4.7% increase compared to 2019.
In absolute figures, the professional services sector created most of the new jobs, with 1,374, while the utilities sector grew the most on a percentage basis, with an 8% annual growth.
Employment in wind energy was expected to expand in 2022, and employers in five out of six industries anticipated wind energy job growth of between 0.2% to 8.7%.
(Energy Gov)
64,514 US employees work in hydropower companies.
Stats show a 2.2% annual growth, or 1,383 new jobs in this sector, compared to the number of employees in 2020.
The industry that opened the largest number of these new positions was professional and business services, with 510, while the wholesale trade experienced the largest growth of 4.5% percentage-wise.
For 2022, employers in three out of six industries expected jobs in hydropower to grow between 0.3% to 8.9%.
(Energy Gov)
Bioenergy companies employ 12,388 Americans.
Renewable energy job creation statistics show that the number of bioenergy workers in the US has increased by 349, which indicates a 2.9% annual growth.
The construction industry created the highest number of these jobs, or 155.
At the same time, the manufacturing industry experienced the highest growth of 3.9% of new jobs for bioenergy employees.
Finally, the projections for 2022 indicated that employment in this renewable energy sector wasn’t expected to grow significantly.
(Energy Gov)
The Summary
The latest projections reveal that if energy companies want to deliver on their promise of net zero emissions, the trend of renewable energy job creation should not only continue but expand even further.
According to the calculations of the IEA, 14 million new green energy jobs need to be created by 2030, and additional 16 million traditional energy workers should be reskilled into green energy to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
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