Clean Energy Jobs To Triple By 2030

Jobs in the clean-energy sector are projected to reach 905,000, while energy efficiency-related jobs are expected to surge to 428,700 by 2029-2030.

India's clean energy and energy-efficiency sectors are poised for significant employment growth with total jobs in the sectors set to jump three times to 519,200 over the next four years, according to a study by Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.

Jobs in the clean-energy sector are projected to reach 905,000, while energy efficiency (EE)-related jobs are expected to surge to 428,700 by 2029-30.

This marks a sharp rise from 2021-2022, when the clean energy and other clean conventional energy sector employed 318,000 people, and EE-related employment stood at 126,900.

Clean energy jobs India

'Assuming that India is able to achieve its target of 500 Gw (Gigawatt) of non-fossil fuel installed capacity by 2030, the associated employment would increase by a factor of 2.8 from the level as of 2021-2022,' the report said.

Similarly, if the country realises its 2030 energy saving target of 150 million tonnes of oil equivalent, energy efficiency-relevant employment would increase by a factor of 3.8, it added.

Solar wind employment growth

The analysis found the share of solar employment to be the highest in the period of 2022-2030, highlighting how solar energy-based jobs have outperformed the other sources.

The study revealed that Gujarat and Rajasthan are expected to emerge as the highest overall employment creators between 2022-2030 with 79,000 and 77,000 additional jobs, respectively.

State-wise green jobs

Tamil Nadu and Gujarat stand out in terms of wind-based employment creation, while Andhra Pradesh is expected to constitute the highest share in large hydro-based employment.

In the case of rooftop solar-based employment, Gujarat is expected to take the lead, with Rajasthan accounting for the maximum additional employment in ground-mounted solar.

In EE-relevant employment, Tamil Nadu dominates the total, followed by Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Energy efficiency jobs surge

Since the employment growth is expected to be concentrated in a few resource-rich states, state-level energy and skilling policies could be aligned to support planning and capacity building tailored to each state's dominant energy subsectors, it said.

The study also analysed the occupational structure, which found that electrical equipment installers and repairers are expected to constitute the highest share in the energy efficiency-relevant occupation designations.

The remaining three dominant occupations were constituted by machinery mechanics and repairers, managing directors and chief executives, and engineering professionals, respectively.

These four designations together represent more than half of the estimated total energy efficiency-related jobs.

Skill gap energy transition

Low-skill employment is the most prominent skill category in RE employment assessments, while medium skill dominates the energy efficiency-relevant employment.

This showed that the existing training systems in India are not equipped to produce the skill diversity required for the energy transition.

'Overcoming this institutional bottleneck will also require adequate financing for training infrastructure, industry training centre linkages, and sustained investment in upgrading the technical capacity of local youth in high-potential states,' the study said.

Globally, renewable energy sectors constituted 16.6 million direct and indirect jobs in 2024, marking only a nominal increase from the 2023 estimate of 16.2 million jobs, according to Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2025 by International Renewable Energy Agency.

India contributed 7.7 per cent to the global total, significantly trailing China, which led with a 43.9 per cent share.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff