There’s a dearth of women and people of color working in clean energy, a problem within one of the fastest-growing sectors in the U.S.
Women make up less than 30% of all workers in clean energy, and racial and ethnic minorities account for 4 in 10 clean energy jobs. Groups underrepresented in the industry lost ground over the last four years, and as the industry grows, they’re at risk of being left behind, according to a recent report by nonpartisan group E2 and other energy organizations.
The industry, which includes jobs in construction, manufacturing, utilities, professional services and repair and maintenance, largely employs white men, the report asserted. Greater gender and racial parity in the high-paying industry could chip away at wage gaps.
“What we’re seeing in clean energy is not a lot different from what we saw in the tech industry that is still overwhelmingly run and populated by men,” Bob Keefe, executive director of E2 and one of the report’s authors, told USA Today.
Gender parity is closer in some job categories within the industry, like professional and business services, the report noted. In most sectors, however, women never exceed 30%, despite making up about half of the country’s workforce.
“This disparity is partly due to the energy sector’s high share of occupations in industries with overall low female participation, including natural resources, construction and maintenance,” the report’s authors wrote.
In 2019, those three jobs accounted for a minuscule 1% of all full-time and salaried roles held by women. By specific job area, the greatest share of women is found in renewable electricity generation (30%), while the clean vehicles industry has the weakest representation (23%).
As it did for many job sectors, the Covid-19 pandemic only worsened the outlook for women in the industry, per the report. Since 2017, the overall share of women in clean energy has fallen from 29% to 27%.
Although they hold about 13% of the country’s total jobs, Black workers account for just 8% of those in clean energy. They have the highest representation in the renewable generation sector (10%), and the lowest in renewable fuels, energy efficiency and clean vehicles (all 6%).
A bright spot: Since 2017, the share of Black workers in clean energy jobs has grown slightly.
Hispanic and Latino workers hold 18% of U.S. jobs overall and account for nearly the same amount of clean energy workers. Representation of those workers is highest in renewable energy like wind and solar (18%), and lowest in clean fuels (12%).
Hispanic and Latinos in the industry more commonly hold low-wage jobs than higher-paying ones, per the report. They, too, suffered when the pandemic hit: Nearly one-quarter of clean energy workers who lost jobs at its outset were Hispanic or Latino.
Asian workers make up about 8% of clean energy workers, compared to 7% of the nation’s workforce. Pacific Islanders and Native Americans account for 2.5% of clean energy workers, which is more than their overall workforce representation (1%). And multiracial workers, who make up 2% of the overall workforce, represent 8% of clean energy workers.
If clean energy employers don’t make a concerted effort to recruit with diversity in mind now, they might be faced with a far smaller job candidate pool in the future, per Utility Dive.
What could move the needle on gender and racial diversity? Investments in clean energy businesses that are owned by women or people of color, bringing clean energy jobs to the southeast, where more Black workers live, and employing those living near clean energy farms or factories at those sites, per USA Today.
Additionally, underrepresented populations should have better access to education and job training, Utility Dive reported.