China led the world in employment related to renewable energy last year, and the sector is expected to continue generating jobs, as record-breaking production, installation and export of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles (EVs) stand in contrast to bleak job prospects in other sectors.

An estimated 7.4 million people in mainland China worked in renewable-energy jobs in 2023, representing 46 per cent of the global total and a 32 per cent increase over 2022, when China accounted for 41 per cent of the global total, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reported last month.

The boom in renewable-energy jobs contrasts with the country’s struggling property market and surging youth unemployment. The September jobless rate for the 16- to 24-year-old age group, excluding students, was 17.6 per cent – or roughly one out of every six people, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics last week.

“The annual financial reports of the leading listed Chinese renewable companies show that they have been expanding their employment in recent years despite stock market fluctuations,” said Shen Xinyi, researcher and China team lead at Helkinsi-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). “Notably, most job increases are in skilled workers and research-and-development staff.”

With China accounting for close to two-thirds of new global installations of solar and wind capacity last year, Beijing expects clean energy to be a driving force for its sluggish economy. However, the sector might not be a cure-all due to its limited size versus looming unemployment growth associated with a potentially painful transition away from fossil fuels, energy experts said.

Employment in renewable-energy jobs worldwide last year grew 18 per cent to 16.2 million – the largest increase on record – amid strong growth in generating capacity and equipment manufacturing, according to IRENA and ILO.