A new study by the WWF has revealed that of the 130 million people employed in the European Union altogether, in excess of 3.4 million European jobs are directly related to renewable energy, sustainable transport and energy efficiency related goods and services – far more than the 2.8 million jobs in polluting industries.
Indirect jobs related to the green collar sector are estimated at approximately another 5 million.
Close to 400,000 people are employed specifically in renewable energy activities, such as the manufacturing, installation and maintenance of wind turbines and solar panels.
The leading European countries for wind power are Germany, Spain and Denmark. For solar power jobs, Germany and Spain are the front runners. Germany and Spain have or had generous gross feed in tariff programs that were major contributors to the solar power boom in both countries.
Germany, which experiences far less sunlight than countries such as Australia, is light years ahead in solar power uptake. Germany commands close to half the global installations market and is also a leading producer of solar cells.
Even with the current global financial crisis taking a toll, the report says all European countries are showing significant growth in green collar industries, with particular focus on wind power, solar photovoltaic, bioenergy, public transport and building sectors.
European wind industry employment has the potential to reach 329,000 jobs in 2020 says the report, and 377,000 in 2030. Under fairly conservative assumptions, Europe’s solar panel related workforce is expected to expand strongly 1.4 million.
Download the full report: Low Carbon Jobs for Europe: Current opportunities and future prospects (PDF)
