Recruitment Trends in Germany’s Renewable Energy Industry 2025

Date: 22 Jul 2025

Sector Expansion

Germany’s renewable energy sector is experiencing strong and sustained job growth in 2025. Job postings related to the energy transition have more than doubled since 2019, now making up nearly 4% of all job offers nationally. Solar energy remains a particular driver, with solar-related postings climbing from 41,500 in 2019 to 102,000 in 2024. Wind energy roles have grown by approximately 70% to nearly 53,000 advertised positions in the same period.

Skills Shortage – The Top Challenge

Despite continuous expansion, the renewable sector faces a significant shortage of skilled professionals. More than 200,000 STEM-related vacancies remain unfilled, especially among construction electricians and technical specialists. Many positions attract too few qualified applicants, pushing companies to prioritize training and upskilling for candidates with transferable expertise from other industries. The looming retirement of a large cohort of experienced STEM professionals by 2035 adds further pressure to recruit and retain qualified talent.

High-Demand Roles

Key functions experiencing the most demand include:

Land acquisition and permitting specialists
Project development and management professionals
Grid connection and energy storage engineers
Construction and site managers
Health & safety managers
Operations and maintenance (O&M) engineers
Technical due diligence and environmental impact managers

Craft roles (like construction electricians), as well as jobs in smart grids, digitalization, and battery storage, are seeing the fastest proportional increases in demand.

Recruitment and Retention Strategies

Employers are adapting with targeted approaches:

Streamlining recruitment processes to attract candidates swiftly
Promoting sector values such as sustainability, social impact, and flexible work arrangements, features that particularly appeal to younger professionals
Providing accessible opportunities for career-changers and investing heavily in in-house training

The sector is also competing fiercely with other industries to secure STEM talent, especially for roles in solar and battery storage.

Regional and Sectoral Insights

Growth in green jobs is reaching all regions, urban and rural alike thanks to the distributed nature of renewable energy projects. While e-mobility job demand has stabilized, hiring for solar and wind construction and installation continues to rise steadily.

Outlook for 2025 and Beyond

Germany’s renewable energy sector shows resilience against broader economic slowdowns. Its share of national employment has climbed from 1.5% in 2019 to nearly 4% by 2024. Looking ahead, experts emphasize the importance of continued policy support, streamlined permitting, and more investment in workforce training to bridge the skills gap. These measures are considered crucial to meeting Germany’s climate ambitions and sustaining growth in the industry.