# Renewable Energy Employs 9.8 million People Worldwide, New IRENA Report Finds

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2017/06/job-renewable-energy-leader-renewables-employ-9-8m-people/
- Published: 2017-06-08T14:43:43-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

## Global system creating more jobs in renewables energy leaders versus in fossil-fuel technologies

Well jobs have gone renewable energy as we are leaders in this economy. More than
9.8 million people were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2016.  For that’s
according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
It’s the Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017. They released at IRENA’s
13th Council meeting. For it also provides the latest employment figures of the 
renewable energy sector and insight into the factors affecting the renewable labour
market.

[⌊Job Renewable Energy Leader: Renewables Employ 9.8M People⌉⌊Job Renewable Energy
Leader: Renewables Employ 9.8M People⌉[

### Job Renewable Energy Leader

Falling costs and also enabling policies have steadily driven up investment and 
employment. Especially in renewable energy worldwide since IRENA’s first annual 
assessment in 2012. Especially when just over seven million people were working 
in the sector. That was said by IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. “In the last
four years, for instance, the number of jobs in the solar and wind sectors combined
has more than doubled.“Renewables are directly supporting broader socio-economic
objectives, with employment creation increasingly recognised as a central component
of the global energy transition. As the scales continue to tip in favour of renewables.
So we expect that the number of people working in the renewables sector could reach
24 million by 2030. That’s more than offsetting fossil-fuel job losses and becoming
a major economic driver around the world. I mean that’s what Mr. Amin added.

### 󠀁[⌊Job Renewable Energy Leaders: Renewables Employ 9.8M People⌉⌊Job Renewable Energy Leaders: Renewables Employ 9.8M People⌉󠀁[⏎ Annual Review of Job Renewable Energy Leaders

The Annual review also shows that global renewable-energy employment, excluding 
large hydropower, was big. For it reached 8.3 million in 2016. When accounting for
direct employment in large hydropower. For the total number of renewable-energy 
jobs globally climbs to 9.8 million. 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. That’s a rise of 3.4 per cent.

#### 󠀁[󠀁[⏎ PV Market

IRENA’s report shows that solar photovoltaic (PV) was the largest employer in 2016,
with 3.1 million jobs — up 12 per cent 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 per cent from the previous year to over 260,000.
New wind installations contributed to a 7 per cent increase in global wind employment,
raising it up to 1.2 million jobs. Brazil, China, the United States and India also
proved to be key bioenergy job markets, with biofuels accounting for 1.7 million
jobs, biomass 0.7 million, and biogas 0.3 million.

### IRENA

“IRENA has provided this year a more complete picture on the state of employment
in the renewables sector, by including large hydropower data. It is important to
recognise these additional 1.5 million working people, as they represent the largest
renewable energy technology by installed capacity,” said Dr. Rabia Ferroukhi, Head
of IRENA’s Policy Unit and Deputy Director of Knowledge, Policy and Finance.

The [report finds that globally](https://greenlivingguy.com/2006/04/bush-reportedly-regrets-global-warming-energy-policy-decisions/),
62 per cent 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.

### Africa

In Africa, utility-scale renewable energy developments have made great strides, 
with South Africa and North Africa accounting for three-quarters of the continent’s
62,000 renewable jobs.

In some African countries and with the right resources plus infrastructure. For 
they can start seeing jobs emerge. Especially in manufacturing and installation 
for utility-scale projects. For much of the continent however, distributed renewables,
like off-grid solar. I mean they are bringing energy access and economic development.
These off-grid mini-grid solutions are giving communities the chance. Especially
to leap-frog traditional electricity infrastructure development and create new jobs
in the process.

So again Job Renewable Energy Leader. For Renewables Employ 9.8M People!

Download the [full report here](https://www.irena.org/404?item=%2fmenu%2findex&user=extranet%5cAnonymous&site=IrenaLive).

**Source: [International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)](https://web.archive.org/web/20180615181558/http://www.irena.org/)

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., 24 May 2017