Since its first report on Renewable Energy and Jobs, published in 2013, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has carried out an annual update to its assessment of renewable energy employment worldwide. This most recent report estimates that about 12 million people were employed in the sector, directly and indirectly, in 2020.
The 2021 Annual Review is a special edition (Labour and Policy Perspectives) in that it is based on a collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO). It presents not only jobs findings for 2020, but also offers highlights of IRENA’s work modeling the employment implications of the agency’s energy transition scenarios to 2050. This special edition discusses how employment generation rides on countries’ abilities to build and strengthen domestic supply chains and highlights the increasing need for expanding skills in all regions of the world to create a capable renewable energy workforce. In addition, the importance of decent jobs is discussed.
Download the report here