Europe’s solar and battery storage sectors supported nearly one million jobs in 2025, highlighting the growing contribution of clean energy to the European Union’s economy. According to the latest industry assessment, solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage systems (BESS) together provided approximately 982,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs across the EU.
Solar PV accounted for the largest share with 874,000 FTE jobs, while BESS contributed 108,000 FTEs. Battery storage employment was assessed separately for the first time in the report. Solar employment grew by 1% during the year, twice the pace of overall EU employment growth.
Indirect employment across supply chains represented 56% of the total workforce, while direct jobs accounted for the remaining 44%. Strong deployment of renewable energy and storage capacity was the primary driver behind this employment growth.
The EU installed 69 GW of new solar capacity and 27 GWh of battery storage in 2025. Deployment activities generated around 742,000 solar FTE jobs, representing 85% of total solar employment. For battery storage, deployment accounted for approximately 90,000 FTE jobs, or 84% of the sector’s total workforce.
Operations and maintenance activities also recorded significant employment gains. Solar O&M supported a record 78,000 FTE jobs, while battery storage operations and maintenance contributed another 8,000 FTEs. The increase reflects the expanding installed base of solar and energy storage projects across Europe.
However, manufacturing continued to face challenges from strong international competition, low factory utilization and plant closures. Solar manufacturing supported only about 37,000 FTE jobs. Inverter production dominated this segment, accounting for around 90% of solar manufacturing employment.
Battery manufacturing supported approximately 64,000 FTE jobs across the broader battery industry. However, only about 7,000 of these jobs were directly linked to stationary energy storage, as electric vehicles continued to account for the majority of battery manufacturing activity.
Germany and Spain emerged as the largest solar employment markets in Europe, each supporting nearly 165,000 FTE jobs. Italy followed with approximately 85,000 FTEs. Together, the three countries represented nearly half of total solar employment in the EU.
Utility-scale solar projects also overtook rooftop installations for the first time, accounting for 50.2% of solar jobs. Large projects in Spain, Germany, Italy and Romania contributed significantly to this shift.
By 2030, the EU solar workforce is projected to decline by 12% to around 766,000 FTEs. The decline is expected to reflect greater industry productivity and market maturity rather than a contraction of solar power. Annual installations are projected to stabilize at around 70 GW under the medium scenario.
Deployment-related employment could fall by 22%, while O&M jobs are expected to increase to 109,000 FTEs. Manufacturing employment could reach 49,000 FTEs if planned projects are completed, while decommissioning and recycling jobs could nearly double to 30,000 FTEs.
The report recommends stronger access to training funds for SMEs, updated vocational education covering digital technologies, smart grids and storage, and implementation of installer measures under RED III. Apprenticeships, new career pathways and reskilling programmes for former fossil-fuel workers are also expected to help Europe maintain a skilled workforce for its clean energy transition.
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