Mumbai, March 5 India's clean energy technology industry has emerged as one of the fastest-growing talent markets, with recruitment surging by 56.6 per cent in two years, driven by strong policy support and increasing investments in the transition to green energy, according to a report.
Roles in the cleantech sector include those of design engineer, process engineer, production engineer, operations and maintenance manager, among others.
According to a report by HR solutions provider CIEL HR, the cleantech sector has become one of the country's most dynamic and rapidly expanding talent markets, with recruitment soaring by 56.6 per cent over the past two years.
While growth has moderated in the short term, the sector remains structurally strong, with headcount increasing by 13.4 per cent year-on-year, the report said, adding that this trend signals a shift from rapid, investment-driven expansion to more disciplined, execution-focused hiring.
This report, a quantitative analysis, is based on inputs from the workforce across 55 cleantech sector companies in India.
It further highlighted that cleantech hiring was dominated by metropolitan cities, with Delhi/NCR commanding 44 per cent of total job openings.
However, a geographical shift is taking place, with Tier II and III cities emerging as the second-largest hiring hubs, accounting for 30 per cent of openings, followed by Mumbai (9 per cent), Bengaluru (6 per cent), Pune (5 per cent) and other metros (6 per cent), the report said.
It found that despite India producing over one million engineering graduates annually, the talent pipeline remains inadequately aligned with the advanced capabilities required in renewable energy systems, storage technologies, and grid integration.
Furthermore, there is a significant gender imbalance, with women accounting for just 11 per cent of the workforce and 15 per cent of leadership roles, highlighting a systemic inclusion gap, the report said.
"India's cleantech sector is at a transformative juncture, poised to become a powerful economic engine that can shape India's next phase of development. While growth is unprecedented, talent scarcity, skill gaps, and the under-representation of women in both the workforce and leadership roles are emerging as key constraints," said CIEL HR MD and CEO Aditya Narayan Mishra.
To realize the sector's potential, organizations must adopt a strategic talent agenda, invest in advanced skills, build robust leadership pipelines, foster inclusive workplaces, and design career pathways that retain top talent, he added.
The report also said that talent scarcity is increasingly driving compensation imbalances across the sector, with 48 per cent of positions offering annual salaries of Rs 10 lakh and above, compared to 40 per cent in the IT sector.
