China leads renewable energy jobs growth as Africa seeks green partners

China accounted for nearly half of the world's renewable energy jobs in 2024, underscoring its central role in the global transition to clean energy at a time when employment growth in the sector is slowing and African countries are seeking partners to expand green industries and create jobs, according to a report.

The Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2025 report, released on Sunday by the International Renewable Energy Agency and the International Labour Organization, showed that global renewable energy employment grew by just 2.3 percent in 2024 to 16.6 million jobs. Of those jobs, China accounted for about 7.3 million positions, or 44 percent of the global total — largely driven by its dominance in solar photovoltaic or PV manufacturing and large-scale deployment.

Solar PV remained the largest employer among renewable technologies, accounting for 7.3 million jobs worldwide, with China alone contributing about 4.2 million positions.

The report, which provides the latest comprehensive data on renewable employment, underscored a widening geographic imbalance in job creation and highlights the crucial role of international cooperation, industrial policies, and supply chain integration in expanding socio-economic benefits from clean energy transitions.

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera emphasized that while deployment of clean energy is booming, policy frameworks must prioritize people alongside technologies.

"Governments must put people at the centre of their energy and climate objectives through trade and industrial policies that drive investment, build domestic capacity, and develop a skilled workforce along the supply chain," he said, noting that uneven job growth highlights the need for strengthened international collaboration.

For Africa — a region with the world's fastest-growing population and a pressing demand for reliable power — the report stated that expanding its renewable energy workforce presents both an economic and development opportunity.

Although Africa's share of renewable energy jobs remains relatively small compared with Asia and Europe, the report noted that building domestic capacity — from skills training to component assembly — will be essential to harness the continent's renewable resource potential and youthful labour force.

It added that strengthened cooperation with partners such as China,including under frameworks like the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), could help accelerate technology transfer and workforce readiness across African economies.