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Liquid biofuels created 2.6 million jobs in 2024 with 46.5% of the total jobs generated in Asia.
Global renewable energy employment grew by just 2.3% in 2024, reaching 16.6 million jobs, despite record-high installations, according to the newly released Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2025 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The report highlights how geopolitical tensions, economic pressures, and increasing automation are shaping the renewable energy workforce.
China continues to dominate the sector, creating an estimated 7.3 million renewable energy jobs—44% of the global total—driven by its large-scale, integrated supply chains. The European Union maintained its 2023 total of 1.8 million jobs, while Brazil accounted for 1.4 million. India and the United States saw only modest growth, reaching around 1.3 million and 1.1 million jobs, respectively.
IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera emphasised the human dimension of the energy transition. “Renewable energy deployment is booming, but the human side of the story is as important as the technological side,” he said. La Camera called on governments to prioritise people through industrial policies, investments in domestic capacity, and workforce development, particularly in countries lagging in the energy transition.
By 2024, solar photovoltaics (PV) remained the largest employer, with 7.3 million jobs, primarily in Asia. China alone employs 4.2 million PV workers, and the region accounts for 75% of global PV jobs. Liquid biofuels followed with 2.6 million jobs, hydropower with 2.3 million, and wind energy with 1.9 million.
The report also stresses the need for greater equity and inclusion in renewable energy employment. Women and people with disabilities remain under-represented, a challenge that must be addressed to ensure a just transition.
ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo said, “A just transition to a renewables-based future must be grounded in inclusion, dignity, and equal opportunity… By removing barriers to equality and promoting decent work, we strengthen economies and ensure that the energy transition truly works for all.”
The 12th edition of the Annual Review continues IRENA’s work analysing the socio-economic impacts of a renewables-based transition. This is the fifth edition produced in collaboration with the ILO, which contributed analysis on the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce.
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