The European Union’s solar industry continues to power ahead as a major job engine. In 2024 the sector reached a record 865,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs across the EU27 – up 5% year-on-year. This growth far outpaced the broader EU labor market (which grew only 0.8%), underscoring solar’s dynamic role in Europe’s economy and energy transition.
Deployment Roles Dominate Employment
Solar PV jobs in Europe are overwhelmingly in deployment (project development and installation). In fact, roughly 744,000 of the 864,000 jobs in 2024 were installation and construction roles – about 86% of the total. Operations & Maintenance (O&M) positions accounted for around 66,000 FTE (≈8%). By contrast, manufacturing jobs numbered only about 40,000 (≈5%), and the emerging decommissioning & recycling sector supported roughly 14,000 FTE (1.6%). This breakdown highlights that deployment (rooftops, ground-mount and other installations) remains the backbone of the workforce, reflecting the labor-intensive nature of putting panels in the field.
- Deployment (installation/development): ~744,000 FTE (86% of jobs)
- O&M (operations & maintenance): ~66,000 FTE (8%)
- Manufacturing: ~40,000 FTE (5%)
- Decommissioning & Recycling: ~14,000 FTE (1.6%)
These figures make clear that as long as solar capacity continues to expand, installers and project developers will employ the bulk of workers. (The relative share of deployment is only slightly down from 87% in 2023.) In contrast, factory jobs have been squeezed by international competition: module and cell closures have driven manufacturing employment down to about 5% of the total. Looking ahead, deployment will likely remain dominant, though emerging automation and smart monitoring may temper future growth in O&M staff.
Top Solar Job Markets
The largest national solar markets also host the most jobs. Germany is by far the EU’s biggest solar employer, with roughly 128,000 FTE positions in 2024. Notably, Germany installed about 17.2 GW of new PV capacity last year (up from 15.1 GW in 2023), helping explain the job lead. (Germany’s solar employment actually dipped from 154,000 in 2023, largely due to manufacturing cuts, but it remains the EU leader.) The next largest markets are Spain (~122,000 FTE) and Italy (just over 100,000 FTE), reflecting their substantial installation volumes. Other top countries include Poland (≈90,000 FTE), France (66,000), Romania (62,000) and Hungary (47,000). These seven countries together account for the lion’s share of EU solar jobs, aligning closely with where the most PV capacity was deployed in 2024 (e.g. Spain and Italy each added 15–20 GW+ of capacity).
- Germany: ~128,000 FTE (17.2 GW installed in 2024)
- Spain: ~122,000 FTE
- Italy: ~100,000 FTE
- Poland: 90,000 FTE
- France: 66,000 FTE
- Romania: 62,000 FTE
- Hungary: 47,000 FTE
Germany’s leadership is especially notable given its strong PV market: despite job cuts in panel factories, its booming solar capacity additions (17.2 GW in 2024) have kept employment high. Spain and Italy likewise surpassed six figures in jobs for the first time, making the top three countries identical to the largest EU solar markets. Smaller markets like Romania and Hungary punch above their weight: their deployment-heavy growth and lower labor costs translate into more jobs per MW installed.
Maturity, Skills and Decarbonization
The continued growth of solar employment – even if at a slower rate – signals an industry moving into maturity. After years of “extraordinary” expansion, the sector’s 5% growth in 2024 reflects a new phase where scalability and efficiency matter. This mature market still outpaces general economic growth, but it also brings new challenges. In particular, companies now stress the need for a skilled, diverse workforce. SolarPower Europe highlights that there is an “urgent need for a skilled, diverse, and future-ready workforce”, with many firms struggling to recruit qualified electricians, roofers, engineers, and other PV specialists. In other words, as solar installations grow, the range of skills required is broadening – from advanced inverters and storage integration to specialized construction techniques.
Importantly, this job growth is directly tied to the EU’s climate and energy goals. Each new solar project not only cuts emissions but also creates local work. SolarPower Europe notes that a robust solar workforce is essential “to keep the solar workforce on track to drive Europe’s decarbonisation goals”. Indeed, deploying solar is a cornerstone of the renewables-based system underpinning the EU’s energy security. In this context, the expanding solar job market demonstrates the industry’s crucial role in decarbonising Europe. Ensuring a pipeline of trained workers – via vocational training, upskilling programs, and initiatives like the EU Solar Skills Intelligence Hub – is widely seen as necessary to sustain this momentum.
Emerging Niches and Specialized Opportunities
Looking ahead, the solar workforce will increasingly move into specialized niches. Innovations like solar carports, agrivoltaics, and building-integrated PV (BIPV) are creating new categories of projects that blend solar with other land uses. These applications require particular expertise: for example, designing solar canopies for parking lots (carports) involves both structural and electrical know-how, while agrivoltaic projects must balance crop farming with panel installation. Likewise, BIPV systems – solar modules built into facades or roof tiles – call for coordination with architects and building specialists.
These niche markets are still relatively small today but are expected to grow rapidly as utilities and businesses look for innovative solar integration. Companies like AESOLAR are already positioning for this future. At the 2025 industry conferences, AESOLAR highlighted its Terra series of agri-PV modules and Horizon series of carport modules – products specifically engineered for farming and parking applications – as well as customizable BIPV modules under its Invitaic brand. This signals that solar manufacturers see significant opportunity in these segments.
As these markets expand, they will demand new, specialized skills. We can expect growing need for designers, engineers and installers trained in carport structures, agronomic planning, and building integration techniques. For instance, installing a solar canopy over a parking area may involve different civil engineering and roofing skills than a standard rooftop array. Agrivoltaics brings in agricultural engineers alongside electricians. Companies that invest in training workers for these complexities will have a competitive edge. In short, specialized solar applications will create a wave of new green jobs, complementing the core deployment workforce.
For firms like AESOLAR, whose product portfolio aligns with these niches, the trend is promising. As the solar industry matures in Europe, success will hinge on this kind of innovation and skills development. By cultivating expertise in these high-potential sectors, the industry can both support EU climate targets and open exciting new career pathways – from solar-carport engineers to agrivoltaic system designers.
Overall, the 2024 figures paint a positive and forward-looking picture: the EU’s solar sector is a major and growing source of quality jobs, with deployment roles leading the way and exciting specialized fields emerging. With continued investment in skills and supportive policies, these jobs will underpin Europe’s decarbonization goals for years to come.
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