In Denmark, around 73,000 people are employed in the energy sector. The jobs are mainly located in the rural areas, and the industry is growing. Things are especially well in the green part of the energy sector where the employment moves at full speed. These facts are part of the first ever mapping of energy-related employment in Denmark. From 2014 to 2016 - with both years included - the number of green energy jobs grew at an average rate of 6 per cent a year, corresponding to six times as much as the growth in the business community in general.

- The mapping of the energy sector’s impact on employment, growth and wealth in Denmark sends a clear message: the energy sector accommodates 73,000 jobs, mainly located in the rural areas, and particularly green energy jobs are prospering. We need to keep this going. The government will soon release its proposal for a new energy agreement. The new agreement aims to create even more growth and energy jobs for the benefit of our wealth and welfare, says Lars Chr. Lilleholt, the Danish Minister of Energy, Utilities and Climate.

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Green industrial jobs are leading the field
The numbers show that the green industrial jobs account for the majority of the green energy jobs in Denmark. At the same time, this is also the segment with the largest job growth related to green energy. The number of green energy related industrial jobs have grown by 10 per cent a year, from 15,517 jobs in 2014 to 18,760 jobs in 2016. The growth is ten times as high as in the business community in general where the employment grew by 1 per cent a year during the same period of time.

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Jutland lies at the top of the list
Looking at the geographic location of the green energy jobs, especially the Jutlandic municipalities lead the field. The municipality of Ikast-Brande leads with 4,064 green energy jobs corresponding to 13 per cent of the total amount of Danish jobs related to green energy. Ikast-Brande is followed by Aalborg, Ringkøbing-Skjern, Aarhus and Sønderborg. The top five municipalities account for 13,470 green energy jobs, corresponding to 43 per cent of the Danish green energy workplaces.

- I am thrilled to see the green workplaces distributed across the country but especially that the Jutlandic municipalities account such a large share. It shows that the green energy companies don't just focus their efforts around the big cities but also look to the rest of the country when establishing new factories and production facilities. At the same time, it strengthens the government’s ambition to create a better cohesion and growth throughout the country, says Lars Chr. Lilleholt.

Facts:

•  In the year 2014, a total of 27,931 people where employed in the green energy area. In 2016, that number had grown to 31,221 employees, an annual growth of just below 6 per cent
• With around 60 per cent, industrial jobs in the green sector account for the biggest amount of workplaces
• The region of Central Jutland account for the majority of green sector employees with 12,458 people. Second and third are the Region of Southern Denmark and the Capital Region.
• The analysis of the energy-related employment is compiled by the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate in cooperation with the Danish Energy Agency and Damvad Analytics

- Source: Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate