FILE – An employee of NY State Solar, a residential and commercial photovoltaic systems company. A new report has found that clean energy now provides more employment than the fossil fuel industry, reflecting the shift that efforts to tackle climate change are having on the global jobs market. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
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As clean energy deployment accelerates across the United States, the workforce powering the transition is entering a quieter, more complicated phase. A growing body of evidence suggests that while most professionals remain committed to long-term careers in renewables and sustainability, many are also reassessing mobility, compensation, and what progression looks like in a maturing sector.
The 2025 Salary & Sentiments Report, released by root/edge in partnership with Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), captures this tension clearly. Based on responses from more than 500 professionals across solar, wind, storage, power delivery, and sustainability roles, the report describes the current moment as one of “recalibration,” shaped by policy uncertainty, slower deal timelines, and rising expectations for transparency.
Taken together, the findings point to a workforce that believes in the mission of the energy transition, but increasingly wants clearer signals from employers about stability, pay, and professional growth.
Confidence Remains High, Even As Mobility Increases
According to the report, 67 percent of respondents say they feel optimistic about their long-term careers in renewables, while just six percent describe themselves as pessimistic. That optimism persists despite a more challenging market environment marked by permitting delays, tax-credit uncertainty, and uneven capital deployment.
At the same time, 39 percent of respondents say they considered leaving the industry within the past year, and many report requiring double-digit salary increases to justify a job move. The data suggests a sector where commitment runs deep, but patience is thinning.
This pattern mirrors broader labor dynamics across the energy transition economy. The most recent U.S. Energy & Employment Report shows clean energy jobs continuing to grow as a share of overall energy employment, even as employers struggle with retention and skills alignment. The U.S. Department of Energy has echoed this concern, noting that clean energy workforce demand is rising faster than the supply of trained, experienced workers, particularly in grid modernization, transmission, and project delivery roles.
Compensation Growth Moderates, Expectations Rise
The report finds that median salaries across most clean energy roles have stabilized, with compensation growth continuing but at a slower pace than in prior years. Eighty-four percent of respondents report receiving a bonus, typically linked to individual or company performance.
Stability does not necessarily translate to satisfaction. Many professionals say they are more selective about career moves, prioritizing role clarity, development pathways, and organizational credibility over lateral salary gains alone.
This aligns with broader market analyses showing renewable salary increases clustering in the low single digits in 2025, a sign that the sector is maturing out of its rapid expansion phase. From a workforce-planning perspective, this moderation places greater pressure on non-compensation factors such as development, transparency, and long-term security, especially as project timelines lengthen and funding cycles become less predictable.
Clean Energy Jobs Grow, While Development Challenges Persist
One of the most persistent findings in the report concerns professional development. While men and women report similar levels of career confidence, women are significantly less likely to have formal development plans.
That gap has implications beyond individual careers. Research from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows women continue to hold only about one-third of renewable energy jobs globally, with particularly slow progress at senior and technical levels. Workforce analyses from the World Resources Institute reinforce this concern. WRI notes that the clean energy sector’s ability to scale depends not only on job creation but on sustained investments in training, advancement, and retention, particularly for historically underrepresented groups. Without stronger development pathways, the sector risks losing experienced mid-career professionals precisely when infrastructure delivery requires continuity and institutional knowledge.
Transparency Becomes A Competitive Advantage
A central theme running through the report is transparency. Professionals increasingly expect clarity around compensation benchmarks, promotion criteria, and long-term opportunity. Employers, in turn, are seeking reliable data to inform hiring and workforce planning during a more cautious investment cycle. “Transparency isn’t a nice-to-have anymore, it’s essential,” the report notes, reflecting feedback from both sides of the labor market.
This shift mirrors broader leadership trends already underway. Regulatory compliance, workforce resilience, and long-term operational stability now rank among the top C-Suite priorities. Other reports indicate that executives are increasingly treating workforce stability, data credibility, and execution risk as central to enterprise strategy.
What This Means For The Energy Transition
The findings point to a critical inflection point. Capital and policy still dominate conversations about the energy transition, but human capital is increasingly a binding constraint. Slower project timelines, delayed guidance, and evolving regulatory frameworks mean companies can no longer rely on rapid growth alone to retain talent. Instead, retention, development, and trust become strategic levers that directly influence delivery timelines.
This dynamic also intersects with broader investment trends. Capital flows alone do not guarantee timely deployment without the workforce capacity to execute projects on the ground. As the Salary & Sentiments Report puts it, the sector remains “full of committed, capable people,” but navigating the next chapter will require clearer signals about value, progression, and stability.