Employment in the European Union’s solar sector reached a record 865,000 jobs in 2024, marking a 5% increase from the previous year, according to SolarPower Europe’s annual EU Solar Jobs report published on Wednesday.
The growth outpaced the wider EU labour market, which expanded by 0.8%, with 86% of solar sector jobs concentrated in deployment activities. However, the report warned of a projected 5% decline in solar employment in 2025, with jobs expected to fall to around 825,000.
The downturn reflects a forecasted 1.5% slowdown in solar market growth driven by weakening demand in the residential rooftop segment and challenges related to manufacturing competitiveness, SolarPower Europe said.
“In 2025, solar delivers 825,000 quality jobs for Europe. That is incredible. However, this falls short of the 1 million solar job mark we were hoping to reach by now, and for the first time in a decade, solar jobs growth has halted. We can’t ignore this warning,” said Walburga Hemetsberger, chief executive of SolarPower Europe.
Germany remained the largest employer in the EU solar sector with 128,000 jobs in 2024, despite a 17% year-on-year decline. Spain ranked second with 122,000 jobs, followed by Italy, which is expected to overtake Spain by 2029. Poland fell to fourth place with around 90,000 solar workers due to a contraction in its residential rooftop market. France, Romania, and Hungary completed the top seven national workforces.
The report projects a recovery in solar employment to 916,000 jobs by 2029, supported by steady market growth and an enhanced policy framework.
SolarPower Europe recommended the establishment of a European Solar Skills Intelligence Hub, increased funding for renewable energy training, retraining programs, initiatives to improve gender diversity, and the introduction of an EU solar skills passport to support workforce development.
