green energy needs specialists: who's positioned for growth in the RES Sector?

in a nutshell:

This article is your snapshot of the current job market in Poland's green energy sector. Why read it? As an engineer, you'll discover which areas of the RES (Renewable Energy Sources) sector align with your competencies, what skills employers are prioritising, and how you can pivot your current experience into a career in one of Poland's fastest-growing industries.

• Massive job growth: the RES sector in Poland already employs over 212,000 people. By 2050, this number could increase fourfold.
• Major new projects: thousands of jobs are on the horizon for the construction and operation of photovoltaic installations (up to 200,000 by 2030), offshore wind farms (a total of up to 100,000), and the first nuclear power plant (50,000 across the entire supply chain).
• Who are companies looking for: it's not just a shortage of technicians and installers. The real demand is for engineers, designers, automation specialists, and experts in AI, data analysis, and project management.
• An opportunity for crossover specialists: facing a persistent talent gap, RES companies are actively recruiting specialists from related industries (like shipbuilding or mining), offering comprehensive reskilling and upskilling to get them job-ready.

the green revolution is creating new jobs. 

Poland's energy sector is in the midst of an incredibly dynamic transformation toward renewable sources. The goals are clear: decarbonise the country, achieve energy independence, and effectively combat climate change. This translates to one thing: massive investments and a huge demand for qualified professionals. The Polish RES sector already employs over 212,000 people. Forecasts from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) suggest this number could increase as much as fourfold by 2050. 

where are the most jobs in Polish RES today? 

In the below segments, employer needs are greatest, and clearly, employment is set to grow rapidly:

• Photovoltaics: thanks to exponential growth in Poland, photovoltaics is the clear leader in RES employment. According to SolarPower Europe, 113,000 people worked in the Polish solar industry in 2023—primarily in installation and service. This has made Poland the second-largest PV market in Europe for employment (right behind Germany). It's forecast that employment in this area will double by 2030, driven by soaring demand for solar installations and the EU's ambitious renewable energy targets.
• Onshore wind energy: the relaxation of the so-called "10H rule" (the minimum distance of a turbine from buildings is now 700 m, with the government proposing a further reduction to 500 m) has given the green light for an additional 4–10 GW of new capacity by 2030. This, in turn, has unlocked the potential to create thousands more jobs for technicians and engineers.
• Offshore wind energy: Poland's first offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea, Baltic Power (a joint investment by Orlen Group and Northland Power), is already under construction. Preparations for other farms, like Baltica 2 (PGE Group and Ørsted), began in 2025, with their launch planned for 2027. As we noted in the Randstad Green Energy Report, the investment phase of these offshore farms is estimated to require 34,000 full-time positions. Ultimately, during the operational phase—when the farms are generating electricity—at least 70,000 permanent employees will be needed.
• Nuclear energy: the project for the first power plant at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino location in Pomerania is one of the largest and most ambitious investments in the Polish RES sector. The latest reports indicate that 50,000 people will be involved at the peak of its construction, primarily various types of engineers. It is emphasised that these are intended to be mainly employees from Polish companies.

who are employers looking for? 

The investment boom means that companies in the RES sector are increasingly grappling with a growing talent deficit. There's a shortage not just of crews for simple installation work but, above all, of experienced specialists. According to Randstad experts, the most urgent positions to fill today are:

• Technicians and service personnel: employers are most urgently seeking photovoltaic panel installers and wind turbine technicians (including those specialising in blade repairs).
• Engineers, designers, and auditors: this group of specialists is essential at every stage of investment in nearly every RES segment. Designers, electricians, automation engineers, and energy auditors are all in high demand. And for major projects (like the nuclear power plant or offshore farms), structural engineers, hydraulic engineers, and chemical engineers are also critical.
• Digital technology specialists: modern energy increasingly relies on digital competencies and data analysis. That's why the demand is also growing for experts in the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and data analysis—professionals who can optimise farm operations and implement, manage, and monitor smart grids.
• Business and legal support: it's no secret that large projects require efficient management. This means that right alongside purely engineering roles, the Polish RES sector is also hunting for project managers, financial analysts, compliance managers, environmental consultants, and legal advisors specialising in energy law. Importantly, the specialist shortage means that RES professionals are among the best-compensated on the market. Experienced specialists can often command salaries in the range of tens of thousands of PLN per month.

how can specialists from other industries start a career in RES? 

Because the sector's growth is outpacing the supply of graduates from RES-related fields, companies are actively recruiting specialists from related industries, offering them reskilling and upskilling. What does each of these qualification paths involve?

• Upskilling is all about enhancing your existing qualifications to match the requirements of a new role. For example, the offshore wind sector is acquiring engineers and technicians with experience in the maritime, oil, and gas industries through upskilling programmes. The upskilling process often relies on numerous courses and training programmes organised at the intersection of the private and public sectors.
• Reskilling, on the other hand, is about retraining—acquiring new skills to perform completely new duties. In Poland, the most prominent example of this is the reskilling of employees from the fossil fuel sector. In 2022, a pilot reskilling programme was launched in which a group of miners took part in a course compliant with international Global Wind Organisation standards, obtaining certificates qualifying them to work on onshore wind turbines and planned offshore farms. 

• Subsequent editions of the programme are currently underway. Many specialists who want to expand or systematise their engineering knowledge to launch a career in RES decide to take advantage of offers from Polish universities, which are rising to meet the needs of the changing market. In recent years, this has led to new postgraduate studies in offshore wind energy at the Gdańsk University of Technology and in nuclear energy at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. In turn, the Wrocław University of Science and Technology has launched a new master's degree programme: Nuclear Power Engineering.

the takeaway. 

Poland's energy transition is happening right before our eyes. For engineers, technicians, and even specialists in fields that might seem distant from RES, this represents a huge opportunity for development in a stable, future-proof industry. More than anything, the green energy sector needs skills. That's precisely why investing in new competencies, whether through courses or postgraduate studies, is a ticket for many specialists to participate in this technological revolution.