The global renewable energy sector employed more than 8.1 million people last year, a 5 percent increase that bucked an overall downwards market trend, a green energy organisation said Wednesday. In its annual review of the sector, the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy agency IRENA attributed the rise to falling technology costs and more accommodating energy policies.
"The continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector," said IRENA Director-General Adnan Amin in a statement.
"We expect this trend to continue as the business case for renewables strengthens and as countries move to achieve their climate targets agreed in Paris" in December, he said.
The increase in green employment contrasted with the traditional energy sector, as oil producers have been hit by a sharp drop in revenues since crude prices tumbled from their mid-2014 records. China, Brazil, the United States, India, Japan and Germany were the top countries in providing jobs in renewable energy in 2015.