By Satender K. Sighadia, Chief Human Resources Officer, GPS Renewables
As India progresses towards its net-zero goals, there is a significant surge in job opportunities within the renewable energy sector. A report from the 2024 Annual Review by the International Renewable Energy Agency indicates that about 1.02 million jobs were created in this sector in India. This is a significant number for a country where unemployment continues to be a persistent problem. With India’s young population increasing year-on-year, a sector capable of generating jobs will be crucial for its economic potential.
While the renewable energy sector continues to be an employment engine, one of the things to consider is the need for gender-inclusive hiring. Currently, women occupy very few positions across different verticals. The global average of women in the renewable energy workforce stands at 32 per cent. In India, this figure is only 11 per cent. In conventional fossil fuel sectors, the numbers are even more dismal.
Diving into numbers
The compressed biogas sector generates about 15,000 to 17,000 direct jobs and about 45,000 to 50,000 indirect jobs. In spite of these numbers, female representation is minimal, and their participation is concentrated in corporate roles. Specifically, women occupy about 34 per cent of administrative and office positions, 18 per cent in pre-construction and design roles, and only 1-3 per cent in engineering, procurement, and construction, and operations and maintenance. This significant underrepresentation of women affects decision-making within the sector.
Barriers to entry
- Gendered perceptions: There is a common notion that roles in feedstock collection, plant operations, and logistics are male-dominated. This discourages many women from even applying for these positions.
- Safety and lack of easy access: Since most renewable energy projects are in rural and semi-urban areas, lack of connectivity and transportation remains a key barrier. Additionally, workplace safety is a concern for women working on-site and commuting long distances.
- Cultural barriers: Stemming from gender role perceptions, a lot of women are discouraged from taking on technical positions and on-ground roles.
- Human resource and policy gaps: To ensure more gender inclusive employment, we need to first work on the right human resource policies that focus on gender sensitive work atmosphere, inclusive hiring, retention, and flexible work options.
- Limited workforce transition: Although over 30 per cent of engineering students are women, far fewer apply for onsite renewable energy roles.
Building aspirations for women to lead
For more women to take up jobs in the renewable energy sector, we need to make it aspirational and create the right kind of opportunities for them. Once they start a job, it is important to have a clear career progression roadmap that can ultimately lead to taking on leadership roles. In addition, training and upskilling at the grassroots level for individuals currently in their roles is equally important.
Platforms that offer training and advocate gender-equality
- Women in Renewables Alliance: Focuses on advocating greater gender equality and provides training programmes and scholarships.
- The Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition: They connect and empower women working in the field of energy globally.
- Women in solar power: It provides training for women in the solar industry.
- Solar Mamas programme: A unique initiative by Barefoot College in Rajasthan. This programme focuses on training women at the grassroots level. Over the course of six months, they train rural women in aspects, including the installation, maintenance, and assembly of solar powered products.
The way forward
Even though there is a lot more room for improvement, if we categorically address the barriers to entry, the future does look bright. As per projections, India’s clean energy workforce is set to grow 19 per cent in FY 2025; this indicates that there is a big opportunity for women to actively participate in the green workforce. States like Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have strong policy frameworks and feedstock capacity.
In conclusion, to improve gender diversity in the renewable energy sector workforce, we need to work on changing perceptions, addressing policy gaps, and improving safety at the workplace. We need inclusive human resource policies that address the current shortcomings and create pathways for women to progress in their careers, paving the way for more leadership roles for them in the green sector.
