Skilled workers from India encouraged to fill gap in Germany’s solar industry

Targeted immigration of skilled workers from India should help Germany achieve its solar expansion targets, as the country faces a shortage of trained workers. In a bid to help the country triple its annual expansion volumes of solar power – needed to reach its target of 215 gigawatts (GW) installed by 2030 – the German solar industry association BSW-Solar and the Skill Council of Green Jobs (SCGJ) have signed an agreement to integrate Indian skilled workers in the German solar industry. “We need more hands for the energy transition and want to secure the necessary massive expansion of solar energy through trained craftspeople, which we cannot find in Germany alone in view of the shortage of skilled workers,” BSW’s managing director of international affairs, David Wedepohl, said. More than 51,000 workers have already been trained under a programme by the Indian Ministry of Renewable Energy, with some ready to enter the labour market.

The lack of skilled workers has been identified as one of the greatest challenges for implementing Germany’s ambitious targets for renewable power expansion and other energy transition-related activities. A recent report estimated the number of workers required at more than 200,000, with skilled labour needed in industries like solar power installation, heating engineering or construction. After approving a new labour strategy in October aimed at helping companies and businesses attract and retain skilled workers, the government announced  in December it would amend its immigration law, hoping to fill the tens of thousands of vacant energy transition jobs. BSW plans to further expand the integration of skilled workers from abroad after the law enters into force in summer.