PH Needs 350K Workers for Renewable Energy by 2030

The Philippines must produce at least 350,000 additional skilled workers by 2030 to support its booming renewable energy (RE) pipeline, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said at a green jobs forum in Makati City.

ILO Philippines Country Director Khalid Hassan said the country has the largest RE development pipeline in Southeast Asia, but its current clean energy workforce stands at just 120,000.

“The Philippines has the largest RE development pipeline in the region,” Hassan told reporters, emphasizing the urgency of closing the widening skills gap.

He warned that “skills gaps are crippling the growth of RE projects in the Philippines,” with energy firms reporting a 75 percent shortfall in qualified labor.

“Investments are being delayed or compromised due to a lack of ready, qualified workers,” Hassan added, citing major solar and wind projects struggling to hire trained personnel.

The labor shortage threatens the rollout of several large-scale developments, including the United Arab Emirates-backed 10-gigawatt solar, wind, and storage project with Masdar and Terra Solar’s 3,500-megawatt solar farm, projected to be the world’s largest by 2026.

Hassan also flagged the outdated and fragmented state of the country’s training systems, noting they are not aligned with the evolving needs of the RE sector.

“Training systems in the country are outdated, fragmented, and not responsive to market needs,” he said, pointing to limited industry participation and trainers’ unfamiliarity with current technologies.

He stressed that the absence of formal apprenticeships and future-focused skills forecasting is slowing returns on investment and impacting project quality.

Safety remains a top concern, especially for young workers involved in solar panel installations and wind turbine construction, where inadequate training increases risks.

In response, the ILO is partnering with the Philippine government to launch a national apprenticeship program specifically for the RE sector.

The program will establish industry-driven standards, deliver certified apprenticeships tied to real jobs, and enhance workplace safety protocols.

It also seeks to influence national policies on skills funding, labor mobility, and incentives to accelerate the development of green jobs.

Under the initiative, the ILO aims to train 10,000 workers—including at least 5,000 women—by 2029 and certify 2,400 apprentices with an 80 percent job placement rate within six months of completion.

The project will also build 25 pilot training systems in areas such as solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and geothermal energy.

An additional 240 site supervisors and 180 vocational instructors are targeted for certification by 2029 to reinforce the sector’s human capital infrastructure.

The effort comes as the Marcos administration pushes for a faster energy transition under the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028, which prioritizes investment in clean energy, inclusive growth, and future-ready skills.

According to the Department of Energy, the Philippines aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its power mix to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.

Experts warn that without urgent investment in technical education and workforce development, the country risks missing its targets for energy security, emissions reduction, and green economy expansion.