IRENA: PV Industry Was the Largest Employer in 2016

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) called »Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017«.
 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 seven million people were working in the sector.« said IRENA Director Adnan Z. Amin.
In the last four years. the number of jobs in the solar and wind sectors combined has more than doubled. The organization expects that the number of people working in the renewables sector could reach 24 million by 2030 – »more than offsetting fossil-fuel job losses and becoming a major economic driver around the world.«
The report finds that globally 62 percent of the jobs are located in Asia. Installation and manufacturing jobs continue to shift to the region. particularly Malaysia and Thailand. which has become global centre for solar PV fabrication.
China. Brazil. the United States. India. Japan and Germany accounted for most of the renewable-energy jobs. In China. for example. 3.64 million people worked in renewables in 2016. a rise of 3.4 per cent.
The PV industry was the largest employer in 2016. with 3.1 million jobs – up 12 percent from 2015 – mainly in China. the United States and India. In the United States. jobs in the solar industry increased 17 times faster than the overall economy. growing 24.5 percent from the previous year to over 260.000.
 
 

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