• Africa holds 3% of global solar PV jobs but posts fastest 23% growth
  
  
• Utility-scale and off-grid solar drive new roles in installation, sales and logistics
  
  
• Solar leads global electricity employment as sector grows to 76 million workers in 2024

Africa holds a small but rapidly expanding share of global solar photovoltaic (PV) employment, according to a report published Friday by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In its “World Energy Employment 2025” report, released on Nov. 5, the IEA notes that Africa accounts for just 3 percent of the global solar PV workforce but recorded the world’s fastest annual growth rate, at 23 percent. This growth occurred mainly in the continent’s eastern, western and central regions and is being driven by new utility-scale power projects.

Off-grid solar is also contributing, with home systems and pay-as-you-go solutions creating jobs in installation, sales and logistics. The report says Africa’s growth stems from both the rise in large solar plants and the expansion of distributed systems.

Globally, solar PV is the largest employer in the electricity sector, with 5 million workers in 2024. China represents 60 percent of this workforce, while Europe, India and the Asia-Pacific region excluding China each account for about 10 percent. The United States is expanding faster than most advanced economies, supported by tax-incentivized project growth.

Distributed solar dominates employment, making up two-thirds of jobs while representing only 43 percent of installed capacity. This reflects the labor-intensive nature of system installation, custom design and commercial services.

The IEA estimates the global energy workforce at 76 million people in 2024, expanding at an annual rate of 2.2 percent, nearly double the pace of global economic growth. Electricity-related activities, from generation and storage to transmission and distribution, form the largest segment with 22.6 million jobs, now surpassing fuel supply.

Energy employment includes work in electricity, fuels and critical minerals supply, end-use efficiency and vehicle manufacturing. According to the IEA, this amounted to 1 in 50 jobs globally in 2024. Overall, more than 5 million energy jobs have been created worldwide since 2019, representing 2.4 percent of all new jobs during the period.

The report notes that electricity employment is expected to continue rising as installed capacity grows. Africa stands to benefit from this trend if project development accelerates, particularly in renewables and especially solar.

Abdoullah Diop