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Employment related to the energy transition has increased significantly. In 2022, the level of employment in the field of renewable energy stood at 387,700 persons. In comparison with the preceding year, employment rose by 14.9% or 50,400 persons in 2022. This is the highest employment rate since 2012 and the largest annual increase since 2006. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said: In the context of the energy transition, the federal government has not only set the course for a fundamental restructuring of our energy supply. The expansion of renewable energy also secures jobs in Germany and creates new ones. The energy transition thus makes a substantial contribution to our prosperity and to Germany’s competitiveness.
Breakdown by technologies
As regards solar energy (84,100 employees in 2022; a share of 22% in total employment in the field of renewable energy), the number of employed persons increased sharply by 22,800. This applied in particular to photovoltaics, while the number of employees also rose considerably in the field of solar thermal energy.
As to onshore wind energy (94,100 employees; a share of 24%), the number of employees declined by around 9,000 compared with the preceding year. In contrast, the number of employed persons rose by more than 6,400 in the field of offshore wind energy (30,100 employees; a share of 8%).
As regards ambient heat/geothermal energy (55,000 employees; a share of 14%), the number of employees increased by 20,100 persons due to the expansion of the use of heat pumps.
In the field of biomass (117,900 employees; a share of 30%), the level of employment has long been stable. In 2022, the number of employed persons rose by around 9,900.
No change in priority fields of activity
By far the main driver of the growing demand for employees continues to be investment in renewable energy installations and components. In 2022, 238,000 persons, i.e. slightly less than two-thirds of the total workforce in the renewable energy sector, were employed in these fields of activity. Compared with the preceding year, this corresponds to an increase of more than 23%. This is due to the expansion of renewable energy both in Germany and abroad and thus also to growing demand for imports from Germany.
In 2022, employment in the fields of the operation and maintenance of installations across all technologies totalled around 85,200 persons. This is almost 3% more than in the preceding year. Unlike the more volatile employment related to investments, this field of activity provides a more stable employment basis, which will grow slowly, but continuously. Last but not least, around 65,500 persons work in the field of the provision of (biogenic) fuels.
Important information about the data: the figures provided by the Institute of Economic Structures Research (GWS) and other researchers for the Economic Affairs Ministry reflect gross employment in the field of renewable energy, i.e. the number of employees in the renewable energy sector. These figures do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the extent to which new jobs have been created.
