Green Energy Jobs Continues To Blossom In 2023

The renewable energy sector trotted ahead in job creation in Germany despite the overall economic slump in 2023. This assertion is backed by a brief study conducted by the Society for Economic Structural Research GmbH (GWS), revealing a marvelous uptick in the number of jobs within the renewable energy canvas to a total of 406,200. This score settled comfortably as the second-highest employment record after 2011.

The construction of renewable energy systems domestically and abroad accounted for approximately 60% of the gross employment within the sector in 2023. The export of machinery components contributed to an estimated 5% of jobs during the year, with 21% of the sector's involvement attributed to operation and maintenance. Additionally, another thriving segment comprised of biomass provisioning (fuels) and biofuel supply, which provided 14% of the total employment.

Solar Photovoltaic Sector Witnesses 35% Increase In Jobs

The solar photovoltaic field emphasized its presence by boosting its workforce to 98,600 in 2023, a staggering 35% rise compared to the previous year. The most substantial gains were apparent in operation and maintenance, while the onshore wind energy sector showcased steady figures. The gross employment saw a mild 0.7% increase to approximately 99,100 individuals, with operation and maintenance jobs slightly declining from the past year.

However, the offshore wind energy field saw a 12% decrease to 25,500 workers. Besides, the gross employment for large-scale biomass installations in 2023 recorded about 43,900, marking almost a 10% drop. In other large-scale renewable energy installation technologies, including deep geothermal and hydropower, there was a 13% decrease to 6,300, with approximately 94% dominantly associated with hydropower.

Continuous Job Cut In Solar Thermal Sector

The solar thermal industry continued to shed jobs with only about 5,900 left on the board. This number was 2,500 less than in 2022, amounting to a total of approximately 104,000 workers in the solar energy arena. This figure is significantly lower compared to the record years from 2009 to 2012 when the robust PV industry in Deutschland accounted for more than 155,000 positions.

On the bright side, the vigorous expansion over the recent years witnessed a surge in heat pump-associated jobs by 17,200 to nearly 71,700.

However, post a significantly high expansion in the small-scale biomass installations sector in 2022, the development dipped by 24% in 2023. This decline reflected in the employment numbers, which dipped from 43,800 to nearly 37,200.