Is First Solar a good company to work for?

First Solar has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 806 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 70% of employees would recommend working at First Solar to a friend and 62% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about First Solar have been left by employees working as Manufacturing Engineer , Development Engineer and Manager .

Does First Solar pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, First Solar employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at First Solar. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at First Solar?

70% of First Solar employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated First Solar 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at First Solar?

Engineer (24) , Manufacturing Engineer (21) , Manager (17) , Technician (13) , Development Engineer (11) , Intern (9) , Development Engineer II (8) , Internship (8) , Manufacturing Associate (8) , Project Manager (8) , Production Operator (7) , Analyst (6) , Director (6) , Coater Technician (5) , Human Resources Generalist (5)

What are the pros of working at First Solar according to real employee reviews?

"Good benefit and growth of the company" ((in 54 reviews)); "People are understanding of mistakes and it's great as a first full time corporate job." ((in 53 reviews)); "Good pay and work with top tallent peers" ((in 51 reviews)); "Good culture Friendly co" ((in 30 reviews)); "good work / life balance" ((in 22 reviews))

What are the cons of working at First Solar according to real employee reviews?

"Cultural challenges given the number of spread out offices and difficulty establishing a common culture; stock price volatility reducing the value of equity compensation, a number of silos which resulted in "us vs them" mentality (EPC versus Project Development); recent layoffs given shift in the market away from historically subsidized markets in Europe" ((in 12 reviews)); "Long hours necessary to accomplish workload." ((in 10 reviews)); "Poor communication and coordination throughout the organization" ((in 10 reviews)); "Managers discouraged input from qualified team members." ((in 10 reviews)); "senior management is incompetent and lazy" ((in 5 reviews))

What are employees saying about First Solar layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about First Solar layoffs and their outlook for job security at First Solar in 2026.

What are the top reviewed First Solar locations?

Perrysburg , Tempe , Toledo , Santa Clara , Trinity , Phoenix , Bridgewater , Walbridge , San Francisco , Columbus , Sunnyvale , New York , Mesa , Palmdale , Oakland , New Iberia , Tampa , Butler , Bound Brook , Jersey City , Lumberton , Decatur , Farmington , Chandler , Tucson , Portland , Elm City , Austin , Dallas , Houston

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

First Solar

First Solar reviews

3.7

70% would recommend to a friend

(684 total reviews)

Mark Widmar

86% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.6

Culture & values

3.4

Senior management

3.4

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Career opportunities

First Solar has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 684 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The First Solar employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

684 reviews

2.0

Jan 25, 2017

Sinking Ship

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Do minimum amount of work and still get the same increase in pay/bonus as someone who works hard.

Cons

Claim they pay well but don't, say things are going to change but they never do, and yearly evaluation system is terrible.

2.0

Jan 23, 2017

Manufacturer Associate

Manufacturer associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits at this company and you did get a lot of knowledge working on an assembly/ production line and computers on the machines to run the line but, that is the only pros that I could say about this company as far as what I had the experience of working here.

Cons

You were mandatory 12 hour shifts and you only got 2-15 min breaks and a half hour lunch. They treated you like you were a workhorse and when you were short-handed, the supervisors wouldn't lend a hand which made you doing 3 other peoples jobs when you only had time for one job causing low production and then put the blame on the line workers why production wasn't efficient . I am not saying this isn't an ok place to work but, they have issues in management and are in trouble business wise. Also, i have to add that trying to move up in this company is a big ZERO unless you know someone in management or friends with the management no matter how long you are there for or how good of a worker you are.

4.0

Jan 23, 2017

Manager

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay compensation and benefits. Great people to work with. I had a wonderful experience with the company and enjoyed working there.

Cons

Volatile market affects business, lack of proactive decisions to be step ahead. Top down communication is an issue.

Viewing 520 - 522 of 684 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Eaton

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

Applied Materials

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

GlobalFoundries

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

Jabil

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at First Solar

Production Operator (Nights)

Production Operator (Days)

Manager- Brand and Creative

Digital Marketing and AI Intern (Fall 2026)

Production Technician I (Days)