The energy transition is seen as a job driver. In fact, the solar and wind energy industry is looking for more and more skilled workers, as a recent study shows. The need is so great that experts fear shortages.
According to a recent study, the demand for skilled workers to expand solar and wind energy has risen rapidly. The number of online job advertisements for jobs in the solar industry was 52,000 in 2022, more than doubling compared to 2019, according to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) on behalf of the Bertelsmann Foundation. In the first six months of the current year, 36,000 job advertisements for the solar sector have already been placed, which points to a new record year.
Plumbing, heating and air conditioning technicians as well as construction electricians are particularly in demand. Roofers are increasingly being sought to install solar systems. According to the experts, there is a risk of bottlenecks: “The increasing demand in the solar industry is increasing the competition for the already scarce skilled workers,” said the labor market expert at the Bertelsmann Foundation, Jana Fingerhut.
The success of the energy transition depends on the sufficient availability of suitably qualified specialists, warn the study authors from the IW. That’s why it’s important to make jobs in the field of renewable energies better known and more attractive.
Increasing demand also in the wind energy industry
According to a report from the European umbrella organization Solar Power Europe (SPE) in October, the solar industry across Europe is also reporting an enormous need for additional skilled workers. By last year, 648,000 “full-time equivalents” had already been created in the sector – by 2027 there could be 1.2 million. According to the SPE, the greatest need for skilled workers is in Germany.
According to current data from the Bertelsmann Foundation’s job monitor, the number of job offers from the wind energy industry has also increased – albeit significantly less dynamically and to a lower level. In 2022, almost 15,000 job advertisements for corresponding professions were registered; in 2019 there were almost 14,000. The experts attribute the difference to the solar industry to the number of systems. There are currently more than three million photovoltaic systems and 30,000 wind turbines on land and at sea. However, the planning and construction of wind turbines are more complex.
Source: Stern
