More than 9.8 million people were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2016, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
The report – ‘Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2017’ – was released at IRENA’s 13th council meeting and provides the latest employment figures for the sector and analysis of the factors affecting the renewable labour market.
China, Brazil, the US, India, Japan and Germany accounted for most of the renewable-energy jobs, it said.
Some 3.64 million people worked in renewables in 2016 in China, a rise of 3.4% on the previous year, while Asia as a whole supported 62% of the jobs.
The solar energy sector was the largest employer in 2016, with 3.1 million jobs up 12% from 2015.
Wind employed 1.2 million people, up 7%, while biofuels accounted for 1.7 million jobs, biomass 700,000, and biogas 300,000, the report said.
IRENA director-general Adnan Amin said: “Falling costs and enabling policies have steadily driven up investment and employment in renewable energy worldwide since IRENA’s first annual assessment in 2012, when just over 7 million people were working in the sector.”
Image: Morgue File
