Europe’s wind energy workforce is set to grow from 443,000 jobs today to 607,000 by 2030, according to WindEurope’s new Wind Energy Workforce Report.
The organisation said the sector currently supports 211,000 direct roles across development, manufacturing, installation, operation and decommissioning, with offshore wind now accounting for 20% of these jobs.
It added that manufacturing represents nearly half of direct employment, supported by more than 250 factories and more than €14bn of industrial investment over the past two years.
WindEurope stated that jobs growth could be faster, but wind build-out remains below target, with the EU heading for 344GW by 2030 against a goal of 425GW.
The report highlighted significant skills shortages, identifying 235 job profiles and noting urgent demand for 7000 blade technicians, 6500 field engineers and 5000 pre-assembly technicians before 2030.
According to WindEurope, meeting these needs will require scaled-up training programmes, retraining from other sectors, harmonised certifications and improved EU-wide skills mobility.
It said that eight in ten critical roles rely on vocational education and training, requiring greater visibility and attractiveness.
WindEurope will launch a Workforce Development Tool to allow users to filter data by country, lifecycle stage and job profile to anticipate training needs and guide investment.