RIYADH: The renewable energy industry created half a million jobs in 2020 so that 12 million people were employed in the sector at the end of the year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Solar energy jobs led the way in renewables employment, accounting for 33 percent of jobs, IRENA and the ILO said in a report titled World Energy Transitions Outlook. Liquid biofuels had a 20 percent share of jobs.

“The potential for renewable energy to generate decent work is a clear indication that we do not have to choose between environmental sustainability on the one hand, and employment creation on the other,” ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said in the report. “The two can go hand-in-hand.”

China held the bulk of renewable energy jobs, with 39 percent, followed by Brazil and India, at 10 percent and 6 percent, respectively. Other countries rapidly generating employment in the sector include Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The transition to renewable energy will more than offset job losses in traditional energy, the report predicted, with 24-25 million jobs created by 2030 compared with 6-7 million roles lost by the transition.

The report also expects that 43 million people will be working in the renewable energy sector by 2050.

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