Employment in the European Union’s green economy has grown by an average of 6 per cent per year since 2014, reaching 5.8 million full-time equivalents by 2023, according to Eurostat.

The analysis of the European environmental goods and services sector accounts highlights which economic activities have secured the most personnel and experienced the most significant expansion.

The construction sector demonstrated the most substantial growth between 2014 and 2023, with employment rising from 0.7 million to 1.6 million full-time equivalents, representing an average annual growth rate of 11 per cent.

This activity currently holds the highest employment figures and encompasses roles in the construction of energy-efficient buildings, the development of renewable energy plants, and energetic refurbishment projects.

Although green employment within the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors reached 0.7 million full-time equivalents in 2023, this field recorded the second highest annual growth rate of 5 per cent throughout the nine-year period.

The third activity that experienced the most significant expansion in relative terms since 2014 was green manufacturing, which grew from 0.7 million to 1.0 million full-time equivalents in 2023, maintaining an average annual growth rate of 5 per cent.

Employment within the environmental economy can also be categorised by specific environmental purpose.

Between 2014 and 2023, employment related to energy from renewables achieved the most significant increase, surging from 0.4 million to 0.8 million full-time equivalents, which constitutes a rise of 79 per cent.

This sector was followed closely by employment dedicated to the protection of soil, surface and groundwater, which grew from 0.4 million to 0.7 million full-time equivalents, marking an increase of 60 per cent.

Significant relative growth was also observed in the air and climate domain, as well as in materials recovery and savings, which recorded increases of 48 per cent and 47 per cent respectively when comparing 2023 figures to those from 2014.

Employment in wastewater management expanded by 38 per cent over the same period, reaching 0.5 million full-time equivalents.

Furthermore, employment within the waste management sector increased by 30 per cent over the decade.

By 2023, waste management stood as the top employment domain with 0.9 million full-time equivalents, accounting for 16 per cent of the total environmental employment across the European Union.

These figures illustrate the rapid development of sustainable industries and the ongoing transition toward a greener European labour market.