The domestic solar and wind energy sectors are likely to employ over 300,000 workers by 2022, the latest report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has predicted.

The findings were published in ILO’s annual flagship report called ‘World Employment and Social Outlook 2018: Greening with jobs‘.

In its report highlighting the global job market scenario, ILO added that action to combat climate change could create 24 million new job opportunities, more than offsetting the six million job losses from traditional industries.

India has set itself the goal of generating 175 GW of electricity from renewable sources by 2022, which corresponds to around half of its total electricity production, the report noted. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) estimated the sectoral employment impact of this change.

Using surveys of solar and wind companies, developers and manufacturers, the study found that over 300,000 workers will be employed in the solar and wind energy sectors to meet the 2022 target, compared to the 154,000 employment opportunities generated in 2009 (IRENA, 2011).

To meet this target, the number of workers required by ground-mounted solar, rooftop solar and wind power projects, would need to increase manifold. The potential for employment creation is conditional on the domestic capacity of solar module manufacturing and the establishment of vocational training programs and certification schemes, the report added.

India has made environmental sustainability a central objective of its development strategy in its 12^th Five-Year Plan (2012–17) and set up a comprehensive framework for skills development for the green transition at the national level, targeting key sectors.

Mercom recently reported that the global renewable energy industry created more than 500,000 new jobs worldwide in 2017. This was a 5.3 percent increase from 2016, according to the latest figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The total number of people employed in the sector now stands at 10.3 million globally, surpassing the 10-million mark for the first time.

Ankita is an editor at MercomIndia.com where she writes and edits clean energy news stories and features. With years of experience in the news business, Ankita has a nose for news and an eye for detail. Prior to Mercom, Ankita was associated with The Times of India as a copy editor for the organization’s digital news desk. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Delhi University and a Postgraduate Diploma in journalism. More articles from Ankita Rajeshwari.