The global solar industry is creating millions of jobs as rapid photovoltaic deployment increases demand for installers, engineers, battery-storage specialists, grid experts and advanced manufacturing professionals.
Global solar photovoltaic employment has reached 7.2 million jobs in 2024, making solar PV the largest renewable-energy employment segment. Asia accounted for 75 percent of global solar PV employment, while China alone represented approximately 4.2 million jobs, according to IRENA.
Employment growth, however, is not keeping pace with solar deployment as automation, productivity improvements, economies of scale and larger projects reduce the number of workers required for each unit of new capacity.
U.S. Solar Installer Jobs to Grow 42%
Demand for solar installers remains particularly strong in the United States.
Solar photovoltaic installer employment is forecast to increase 42 percent between 2024 and 2034, rising from 28,600 jobs to 40,600 jobs. Approximately 4,100 openings per year are projected during the period, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.
Median annual pay for U.S. solar PV installers reached $51,860 in May 2024. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $39,070, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $80,150.
Installer salaries vary significantly by industry. Median annual wages reached $61,140 for employees of plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors and $59,130 for electrical and other wiring-installation contractors.
Median salaries were $50,960 in power and communication line construction and $50,120 in utilities.
India Could Create More Than 4.4 Million Clean-Energy Jobs
India represents one of the largest future renewable-energy employment opportunities.
The country’s renewable-energy targets and National Green Hydrogen Mission could generate more than 4.4 million full-time-equivalent jobs by 2030 across sectors assessed by a 2026 CEEW-NRDC study.
Rooftop solar alone could account for approximately 43 percent of this projected employment.
Selected clean-energy industries added more than 650,000 workers between fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2026, with rooftop solar representing 62 percent of the workforce additions covered by the analysis.
Rooftop Solar Creates 45 Jobs per MW
Rooftop solar stands out for its employment intensity.
The CEEW-NRDC analysis estimates that rooftop solar generates approximately 45 FTE job-years per MW, compared with only around 1 FTE job-year per MW for ground-mounted solar.
On this measure, rooftop solar is approximately 44 times more employment-intensive.
The difference reflects the labor-intensive nature of distributed projects, which require individual customer acquisition, site assessment, system design, electrical installation, permitting, grid connection and maintenance.
Utility-scale solar creates fewer jobs per MW but increases demand for specialized positions in electrical and civil engineering, EPC, project development, construction management, commissioning and grid integration.
Battery Storage and Grid Integration Drive New Solar Jobs
The rapid expansion of solar-plus-storage projects is creating another employment segment.
Demand is increasing for specialists in battery energy storage systems, power electronics, controls, energy-management systems, commissioning, safety and operations and maintenance.
Grid integration is another high-value area as growing renewable penetration increases demand for professionals specializing in interconnection, power-system studies, transmission planning, protection systems and power quality.
Manufacturing is also becoming more specialized as automation shifts workforce requirements toward process engineers, equipment technicians, automation specialists, quality-control professionals and production-optimization experts.
Up to 90% of Manufacturing Jobs Require Skilled Workers
Skills availability could become a major constraint on clean-energy expansion.
Approximately 60 percent of clean-energy project-deployment jobs in India require highly skilled or semi-skilled employees. In manufacturing, the requirement rises to approximately 80 percent to 90 percent.
High-demand capabilities include electrical systems, PV design, battery storage, power electronics, grid integration, project management, manufacturing automation and digital technologies.
AI is also changing solar employment. Predictive maintenance, energy forecasting, fault detection, remote monitoring, drone inspection and asset-performance analytics are increasing demand for professionals combining renewable-energy expertise with software, data analytics, automation and AI skills.
Women Represent 11% of India’s Solar and Wind Workforce
Women remain significantly underrepresented in India’s renewable-energy workforce.
Women represented 11 percent of the surveyed solar and wind workforce, with participation increasing to 15 percent in rooftop solar and 13 percent in solar module manufacturing.
Increasing participation in technical, manufacturing, engineering, field and management positions represents an important opportunity for expanding the industry’s skilled workforce.
EU Solar Employment to Exceed 916,000 by 2029
Europe remains another major solar employment market.
The EU solar industry supported 865,000 jobs in 2024. SolarPower Europe expects employment growth to recover from 2026 and exceed 916,000 jobs by 2029.
Employment levels can fluctuate despite long-term solar expansion because residential demand, annual installation volumes, manufacturing conditions and policy changes directly affect workforce requirements.
Solar Jobs Shift Toward Specialized Skills
The solar employment outlook increasingly favors workers combining conventional renewable-energy expertise with advanced technical skills.
Global solar PV employment already stands at 7.2 million jobs, U.S. solar installer employment is forecast to grow 42 percent from 2024 to 2034, India could generate more than 4.4 million FTE clean-energy jobs by 2030, and EU solar employment is expected to exceed 916,000 by 2029.
Meanwhile, U.S. installer salaries range from below $39,070 for the lowest 10 percent to more than $80,150 for the highest 10 percent, against a median of $51,860.
The biggest employment opportunities are shifting toward rooftop solar, engineering, project development, battery storage, grid integration, operations and maintenance, advanced manufacturing, automation and digital asset management.
As solar deployment expands, technical specialization rather than installation growth alone will increasingly determine where the industry’s highest-value jobs and salaries emerge.
SHAFANA FAZAL