India’s Green Jobs Are Being Created in Places Nobody Is Looking

When we talk about India’s green economy we often focus on the places where the future is being decided: boardrooms, investor conferences and policy forums. We count progress by looking at gigawatts that are built, money that is invested and technologies scaled. These numbers do not show where economic activity starts, who joins it or where green jobs appear.

Working with green enterprises has made me think about this difference. Many companies that turn India’s green ambitions into jobs, work in small cities, industrial clusters and districts that rarely appear in discussions about green growth.

The question is not why green jobs are growing outside cities, but why our view of the green economy keeps being shaped by metros and headline news.

A February 2026 Quess Corp report says that 70% of India’s jobs are already in non‑metro areas. Green manufacturing, decentralized energy, waste management and sustainable agriculture can grow from this employment base. Yet, the money, networks and support needed to grow these companies stay in a few cities.

Getting Geography And Scale Right

Think about energy. A June 2026 study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says that India’s 500 GW non‑fossil target and Green Hydrogen Mission could create more than 44 lakh full‑time‑equivalent jobs by 2030 and rooftop solar would make up about 43% of those jobs.

The number of jobs per megawatt is very different: 45 full‑time‑equivalent job‑years for rooftop solar, one for ground‑mounted solar and 0.6 for wind. Rooftop work needs customer outreach, surveys, design, installation and maintenance. It creates jobs in many places instead of just a few big sites.

Between FY2023 and FY2026, select clean‑energy sectors added 6.5 lakh workers and rooftop solar made up 62% of those new jobs, the study says.

Where and how technology is put in place decides not only how many green jobs it creates, but also which places get the benefit. That is why the business ecosystem matters. Investors, mentors, suppliers, customers, skilled workers and support groups help companies get going and grow. When these networks stay in cities, high potential climate-first companies in other places are at a disadvantage.

A founder who starts a waste‑management business in Nagpur or an agri‑biotechnology firm in Botad, Gujarat might find it hard to get money, mentors, corporate customers and specialized help. Companies have immense potential to grow where local needs and opportunities exist. However, the help needed to grow them often stays in other places.

An NLB (Next Level Business) Services forecast says Tier II and III cities could provide 35–40% of a projected 7.29 million green jobs by FY28. Realising this possibility will need business support infrastructure to grow with the opportunity.

Job Creation And Access

The transition must be judged by the quality and access of the jobs it creates. Women are 11% of the solar and wind workforce in the CEEW–NRDC study. In smaller cities and rural districts, a lack of training, professional networks and career pathways can limit who joins.

Getting the workforce ready is another problem. The study says 60% of clean‑energy jobs need highly skilled or semi‑skilled workers; in manufacturing that number rises to 80–90%. Fulfilling this need will require hands-on training, apprenticeships and certificates.

Importantly, training must reach the districts where projects, factories and businesses are. Building skills in one area while jobs appear in another can separate talent from local growth.

The same rule applies to workers who already work in the economy. For example, informal waste workers are vital for recycling. Most have no social security or fair wages. Bringing them into value chains has to make working conditions and income safer, not simply formalise companies and aggregators on paper.

Bringing Green Enterprise Closer Home

First, set up accelerators and incubators inside industrial clusters and new green‑economy hubs. Founders must get mentoring, technical help and investor contacts without relying on city centers. The help should match industries and company needs.

Second, widen small‑ticket and blended finance for first‑time founders. CSR and development capital could take on part of the early‑stage risk, allowing promising companies to get money before they have the record needed by investors.

Third, build procurement pathways for smaller‑city green suppliers. Corporate and government buyers can help green enterprises join larger value chains by making sourcing commitments, running supplier‑development programmes and simplifying qualification processes. Mentorship can help a green business grow. Reliable customers are the key that makes that growth sustainable.

These measures tackle a common problem: green enterprises cannot create durable employment at scale when capital, capabilities and customers stay far away from them.

India’s green economy will need infrastructure and investment. But those alone will not decide how widely its benefits are shared. We must also ask if green enterprises outside metros can get the support they need, whether local workers can access these jobs, and whether businesses can find markets for their solutions.

The next measure of progress should not just be how much green capacity India adds, but how well it creates secure meaningful livelihoods across the country. An inclusive green transition must invest not only in the green technologies that power it but also in the local enterprise ecosystems that turn those technologies into jobs.

Disclaimer: Ajay Menon is senior practice lead – entrepreneurship at TechnoServe India. The views expressed are personal.