Alright, let’s pull back the curtain on the renewable energy world, which, for all its sunny solar panels and breezy wind turbines, has a serious diversity problem. While it’s a booming industry meant to power a greener, better world, many underrepresented groups are still struggling to get a foot in the door.

That is why we need more inclusive hiring practices in the industry. By sheer necessity, inclusive hiring will be a key enabler of Malaysia’s push for net zero. The National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) envisions increasing renewable energy installed capacity from 4% today to 70% by 2050. This shift is estimated to need an additional 200,000 professionals in the renewable field in Malaysia by 2030. To provide contexts, as of 2019, the whole industry has only about 187,000 people. This means the industry needs to double its own total workforce in less than a decade, and then some. But it’s not just about sheer numbers. This new, green workforce needs specific skills to set up, maintain, and innovate sustainable energy systems. New jobs and even entirely new professions sprouting up alongside cutting-edge tech.