2023-10-02 11:21:25
Employment in the field of renewable energy is expanding significantly at the global level and with it the potential for increasing gender equality, reveals a new joint report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
According to the report, titled Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2023, global employment in renewable energy will reach 13.7 million in 2022, an increase of one million since 2021 and a total of 7.3 million in 2012.
The report found that renewable energy is attracting increasing investment, leading to the creation of new jobs in a growing number of countries. However, as in previous years, most jobs are concentrated in a few countries, with the top ten countries also accounting for 85% of solar energy, mainly China, which accounts for 41 percent of the global total. Among the top ten countries you can also see India, USA, Brazil, Japan, Vietnam, Poland, Germany, Spain and Australia together they represent most of the standards at the global level and play key roles in equipment manufacturing, engineering and services Associates in the field of renewable energy.
According to the annual review, the solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sector was again the largest employer in 2022, creating 4.9 million jobs, which is more than a third of the total workforce in the renewable energy sector. Energy produced from hydropower and biofuels had a similar number of jobs as in 2021, about 2.5 million each, followed by energy produced from wind energy with 1.4 million jobs.
Solar panel installers on the roof of a building in the USA (Photo: AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
The study emphasizes that the quality of jobs is just as important as their quantity. To promote social justice, the transition to a cleaner energy future needs to be just and inclusive for all; Workers, factories and communities. Therefore, coherent and integrated frameworks are necessary, focusing on wages, occupational safety and health and rights at work, and based on effective social dialogue, it was written. The report cites the International Labor Organization document entitled ‘Guidelines for a Just Transition towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies for All’ which is intended to provide a central reference for policy-making and actions to support a just transition that governments and other stakeholders can rely on.
The report addresses the workers’ side of the transition to renewable energy and claims that for it to be a just and inclusive energy transition it must also include workforce development and diversity. The report emphasizes the need to expand education and training and increase career opportunities for youth, minorities and marginalized groups. Greater gender equality is also essential. Currently, jobs in renewable energy remain unequally distributed between men and women.
According to the report, currently, solar technology has the best gender balance compared to other sectors, with 40 percent of jobs held by women. This potential is an option for increasing gender equality in the industry in general, and therefore energy renewal should also be seen as promoting equality.
Many countries are showing increased interest in localizing supply chains and creating local jobs, with support from appropriate industrial policies. This goes hand in hand with the growing desire to reduce energy supply insecurity. China has successfully pursued a wide variety of these industrial policies for several years. Recently, the European Union, India, Japan, South Africa and the US have announced initiatives to stimulate local production. However, according to the report, countries will need to find ways to combine localization efforts with continued global cooperation in pursuit of an ambitious energy transition.
Francesco La Camara, Secretary General of IRNA, stated that: “2022 was another exceptional year for jobs in renewable energy, against the background of the increasing challenges. Creating millions more jobs will require a much faster pace of investment in energy transition technologies. Earlier this month, G20 leaders agreed to accelerate efforts to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 in line with our recommendations ahead of COP28. I call on all policymakers to use this momentum as an opportunity to adopt ambitious policies that drive the necessary systemic change.”
The Secretary-General of the International Labor Organization, Gilbert P. Hongbo, said in announcing the release of the report: “In order to take advantage of the significant opportunities to achieve full, productive and freely chosen employment, social inclusion and decent work for all during these complex transitions, it is necessary to develop and implement specific policies for macro-growth inclusive economy, sustainable enterprises, skills development, other active interventions in the labor market, social protection, occupational safety and health and other rights at work, and finding new solutions through social dialogue.”
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