According to reports from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the number of renewable energy workers worldwide reached 12.7 million in 2021.
Global renewable energy jobs also experienced 73% growth between 2012 and 2021.
"This employment trend is shaped by many factors, including costs, investments, and various policy measures to develop renewable energy," said the ILO in its report, *Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2022*.
The renewable energy sector employing the most workers is solar photovoltaic energy, with the number of workers detailed in the graph.
Globally, solar photovoltaic power generation has the largest capacity compared to other types of renewable energy. Unsurprisingly, employment in this sector is also the largest.
In 2021, the installed capacity of solar photovoltaic power generation worldwide reached 132.8 gigawatts (GW), while wind energy reached 93.1 GW, hydropower 18.7 GW, bioenergy 10.3 GW, and other renewable energies 1.7 GW.
The countries with the largest solar photovoltaic energy capacity in 2021 were China, the United States, India, Brazil, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and the Netherlands. However, approximately 96% of the technology is produced by China.
"Most of the global solar technology manufacturing is located in China, supported by government incentives and strong research and development. Countries that use solar energy, such as Germany, Brazil, India, and the United States, are importers," IRENA stated.
According to IRENA and ILO data, of all global renewable energy sector workers, 42% are in China, followed by the European Union at 10%, Brazil at 10%, the United States at 7%, and India at 7%.