Clean energy advocates are calling for legislation to jump start the economy by supporting what was one of the Midwest’s largest and fastest growing jobs sectors before the coronavirus pandemic. At the end of 2019, more than 76,000 Wisconsin workers were employed in clean energy and energy efficiency jobs, which grew at more than twice […]
Job losses damper fast-growing sector that employed 537,000 Californians at end of 2019 1 in 5 Californians employed in January 2020 by clean energy now out of work Before COVID-19, 3% of overall employment statewide, and 30% of state construction workers, employed in clean energy Sacramento (June 25, 2020) – As Congress and state policymakers […]
Job losses damper fast-growing sector that employed 744,040 in the region at end of 2019 1 in 6 Midwesterners employed in January 2020 by clean energy now out of work Before COVID-19, clean energy jobs were growing almost 4 times faster than overall economy CHICAGO, IL – (June 25, 2020) – As Congress this week […]
Home to 744,000 Clean Energy JobsPrior to the COVID-19 crisis, clean energy companies employed more than 744,000 Midwesterners and clean energy jobs were growing in nearly every state, according to the latest available data. Across the region in 2019, the industry added more than 7,500 new jobs. At the end of 2019, more people in the Midwest worked in clean energy than the combined workforce of real estate agents and brokers, computer programmers, web developers, and waiters and waitresses. However, according to a recent analysis of U.S. Department of Labor unemployment data, in just the first three months after the pandemic began more than 131,600 workers in clean energy-related companies lost their jobs.
The Midwest’s largest clean energy employer was energy efficiency. The sector has been home to more than 70 percent of all the region’s clean energy jobs. Last year, the Midwest also saw job growth rate increases in clean fuels (2.9 percent), grid and storage (3.4 percent), and renewable energy generation (2.7 percent).
Clean energy jobs are found in every corner of the region. While big cities like Chicago (88,930 jobs), Detroit (55,470 jobs), and Minneapolis (38,920 jobs) were some of the largest hubs for clean energy jobs, more than one in five — or more than 158,000 — were at the end of 2019 located in rural areas.
Thousands of Midwestern companies hire clean energy workers every year. Before the crisis hit, these employers anticipated adding nearly 37,000 clean energy jobs in 2020 — a nearly 5 percent growth rate.
The complete report along with interactive breakdowns for all states is available at this link.
This report follows E2’s Clean Jobs America analysis which found the clean energy jobs account for nearly 3.3 million jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Both reports expand on data from the 2020 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fifth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016. Clean energy jobs have grown every year since the first report was released in 2016.
If you are looking for additional insight into E2’s Clean Jobs Midwest or our other Clean Jobs America reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]). An FAQ is also available here to answer any questions.
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America’s Clean Energy Powerhouse in the Wake of COVID-19After a fifth straight year of job growth since E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) began tracking U.S. clean energy employment, California’s clean energy economy is facing a torrent of job losses and work freezes so significant it could set the industry back years. What had been one of the nation’s fastest-growing job sectors over the last five years is now one of the fastest-shrinking in the wake of COVID-19-related shutdowns disrupting supply chains and building energy efficiency projects, halting new developments and emptying project pipelines, and slowing investments while wrecking financial outlooks.
Entering 2020, California’s clean energy economy had grown for five straight years since this annual report was first released with clean energy jobs growing to make up 3 percent of the state’s entire workforce.
E2’s Clean Jobs California 2020 details the sheer size of this important employment sector, the troubles it is currently facing due to COVID-19 and how focusing recovery policies on clean energy can get the Golden State’s economy humming again—quickly and for the long run.
The complete report is available for download at this link.
The analysis expands on data from the 2020 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. The report was released in March 2020and is available at www.usenergyjobs.org. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fifth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016 and subsequently abandoned under the Trump administration. Clean energy jobs have grown every year since the first report was released in 2016.
If you are looking for additional insight into E2’s Clean Jobs California 2020 or our other Clean Jobs America reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]). An FAQ is also available here to answer any questions.
Clean Jobs America 2020 is the 3rd clean energy jobs report for California from E2. Previous reports can be accessed in the below links.
View Report »Clean energy job losses began to level off in May, according to a new analysis, but industry advocates are pushing back against the Trump administration’s assurances that the nation is back on the road to recovery. The report from California-based BW Research Partnership Inc. found that clean energy sectors lost over 27,000 jobs in May, fewer than […]
Action comes as E2 also launches $300,000 ad campaign highlighting clean energy job losses Washington, DC (June 22, 2020) – As Congress considers a major infrastructure bill and ways to restart the U.S. economy, more than 580 business leaders from across the country urged lawmakers in Washington to ensure clean energy is prioritized in forthcoming […]
Statement from E2 Mountain West Advocate Susan Nedell CARSON CITY (June 22, 2020) – Governor Steve Sisolak today announced Nevada will begin a low-emission (LEV) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) rulemaking process. If implemented, Nevada would become the 14th state, not including the District of Columbia, to adopt Clean Cars Standards. Nevada has already joined nearly […]
Governor Steve Sisolak announced Nevada will consider adopting new standards requiring a higher percentage of vehicles sold in-state be electric. “Its really looking to the future; electric vehicles coming, spur it on, bring it a lot of benefits to all people whether or not you decide to buy an electric vehicle,” said Susan Nedell, of […]
The U.S. clean energy sector has lost more than 620,000 jobs, or 18% of its work force, as stay-at-home orders and a weakened economy have slowed demand for solar panels and energy-efficient systems and curbed production of electric vehicles and clean fuels, a report published on Monday showed. The industry lost 27,000 jobs in May, […]
620,500 clean energy workers jobless since COVID-19 hit CA, FL, GA, TX, WA, MI among hardest-hit states Report comes as Congress debates economic stimulus; runs contrary to findings of flawed Bureau of Labor Statistics report WASHINGTON, DC (June 15, 2020) – As Congress this week begins debating economic stimulus support for the energy industry, a […]