Solar Jobs Report: rapid growth – employee figures rose to 648,000 in 2022. But labour shortage is imminent.
SolarPower Europe (SPE), the European solar industry association, has issued the third edition of its report, entitled EU Solar Jobs Report 2023. This publication includes the association’s forecast of over a million full-time workers in Europe’s solar sector by 2025. SPE further believes that as many as 1.2 million full-time jobs might be created by 2027 if the trend towards solar power usage persists.
Germany will take the lead
Moreover, the report reveals that the EU solar sector expanded by 39 percent to 648,000 full time equivalents in 2022 from 466,000 in 2021. Poland had the biggest share of full-time employees by the end of the year, approaching 150,000. Runners up were Spain (103,000) and Germany (96,000), which has the greatest demand. The authors prognosticate over 210,000 full-time positions in Germany by 2027.
Installation accounts for the lion’s share, or 84 percent, of the solar labour force. Some eight percent of the positions are accounted for by operation and maintenance, with seven percent going to manufacturing and a small share of one percent to disposal and recycling.
Concern over shortage of skilled labour
SPE finds that a substantial number of skilled workers must be mobilised without neglecting training standards in order to cater to the rampant rise in demand driven by ambitious expansion goals. According to the report, the most needed professions are fitters, electricians as well as planning and electrical engineers. In addition, the solar sector has to compete with other sectors such as energy supply, car manufacturing and IT to recruit suitable personnel – above all in technical professions.
The sector is concerned that there may not be enough skilled workers to achieve the planned growth. In 2022, more jobs were created in operation and maintenance than in production. The experts believe this is proof of PV installation outgrowing local value-added chains.
Therefore, the study recommends seven political ways that Europe can recruit the skilled labour required in the solar industry.
SPE and the industry thus propose that policymakers focus not only on creating jobs, but also on the type and quality of qualifications offered. They assert that it is challenging to identify precisely where deficits exist and to ensure that all solar workers possess the necessary skills.