IEA presents new report on jobs in the sector, significant growth in renewable energies, and raw materials extraction.
67 million people worldwide were employed in the energy sector last year, 35 million in the sustainable energy sector alone. This is according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). It is not only photovoltaics, wind power, and e-cars that are creating more jobs, but also upstream industries such as the extraction of critical minerals. 180,000 new jobs have been created in the last three years, and 800,000 people are now employed in this sector.
The IEA sees a central problem for the energy sector: insufficient qualified employees. This applies to specialized electricians and science, technology, and engineering specialists. According to the agency, the number of jobs in the clean energy sector exceeded the number of employees in the fossil fuel sector for the first time in 2021. This is attributed to the higher amount of work required to build new energy infrastructure compared to the operation of existing facilities.
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