28% of energy sector workers are in energy efficiency, 2X more than fossil fuels Entry-level wages in all sectors well exceed the national average 700,000 new jobs per year for 5 years could be created by $61 billion targeted stimulus WASHINGTON DC (November 19, 2020) – Energy efficiency — which led U.S. energy-sector job growth […]
Höhne added that Biden’s 2035 goal makes economic sense, in a country suffering from a coronavirus slowdown and where about half the states are already moving in a similar direction on renewable energy. “This is something that he can really drive forward. He has the … economic situation on his side — it’s simply cheaper […]
**This memo has been revised and is available here. The numbers presented in the original Nov. 12, 2020 memo are based on data issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Nov. 6, 2020. An update to that data was made by the BLS in the Feb. 5, 2021 Employment Situation report** 40+ states […]
**This memo has been revised and is available here. The numbers presented in the original Nov. 12, 2020 memo are based on data issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Nov. 6, 2020. An update to that data was made by the BLS in the Feb. 5, 2021 Employment Situation report**
23,800 jobs in clean energy were added in October, leaving 13% of the sector’s pre-COVID-19 workforce unemployed according to the latest analysis of federal unemployment filings prepared by BW Research for E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), E4TheFuture and the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).
Overall, October’s job gains represented a 0.8% increase in nationwide clean energy jobs and leaves more than 454,000 clean energy workers still out of work. At the current pace, it would take the industry over 18 months to reach pre-COVID employment levels and 23 months to meet the sector’s projected 2020 job growth before the pandemic.
While October represents the fifth straight month of job growth for the industry after three months of devastating job losses, three out of every four clean energy workers who lost their jobs at the beginning of the crisis remain out of work, according to the monthly report. The slow growth is consistent nationwide; 44 states saw below 1% growth in October, with 23 states and the District of Columbia adding fewer than 200 jobs each.
In 2018 and 2019, clean energy created about 190,000 new jobs nationwide. Before the coronavirus pandemic, employers projected that more than 175,000 jobs would be added in 2020, according to the 2020 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (USEER) employer survey. Before COVID-19, nearly 3.4 million Americans across all 50 states and the District of Columbia worked in clean energy occupations, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, grid modernization, clean vehicles and fuels. That’s more people than work in real estate, banking or agriculture in the U.S., and three times the number of Americans that worked in fossil fuels, according to E2’s Clean Jobs America report.
| Sector | March | April | May | June | July | August | Sept. | Oct. | Total |
| Energy Efficiency | -103,298 | -309,584 | -18,880 | 71,786 | 6,836 | 8,116 | 8,354 | 16,806 | -319,864 |
| Renewables | -23,739 | -71,705 | -4,272 | 17,287 | 1,918 | 2,571 | 2,273 | 3,965 | -71,704 |
| Clean Vehicles | -11,399 | -35,070 | -2,059 | 10,335 | 896 | 2,182 | 965 | 1,615 | -32,536 |
| Grid & Storage | -6,517 | -19,666 | -1,166 | 4,561 | 428 | 482 | 510 | 1,042 | -20,326 |
| Clean Fuels | -2,186 | -10,390 | -657 | 2,351 | 296 | 205 | 378 | 409 | -9,594 |
| TOTAL | -147,139 | -446,416 | -27,035 | 106,320 | 10,373 | 13,556 | 12,479 | 23,838 | -454,024 |
| State | Total Losses | Percent of Clean Energy Workforce |
| California | 76,638 | 13.90% |
| Georgia | 26,540 | 30.70% |
| Florida | 24,000 | 14.30% |
| Michigan | 22,671 | 17.00% |
| Texas | 20,765 | 8.40% |
| North Carolina | 18,340 | 16.00% |
| Pennsylvania | 17,340 | 17.90% |
| Washington | 17,124 | 19.20% |
| Ohio | 14,774 | 12.70% |
| New York | 14,329 | 8.10% |
For a full breakdown of clean energy jobs losses in each state, download the full analysis here.
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 2020 and 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.
If you are looking for additional insight into this report or E2’s more than a dozen other annual clean energy employment reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]).
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Prior to the pandemic, clean energy was one of the fastest growing industries in Michigan, supporting over 125,000 jobs. New analyses demonstrate we can return to this flourishing clean energy economy if policymakers take action beyond short-term emergency measures. … It’s not just a matter of forecasting future impacts. Climate action is already working for the people and […]
First-of-its-kind report shows clean energy jobs more likely to include health care, retirement benefits Median wages in solar, wind, grid modernization higher than jobs in coal, natural gas and petroleum fuels Findings support calls to power U.S. recovery with clean energy jobs WASHINGTON (October 22, 2020) – Clean energy jobs paid 25% more than the […]
About This ReportTo understand the quality of employment opportunities in clean energy-related industries, E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) commissioned BW Research to analyze wages and benefits of occupations in clean energy industries in comparison to all occupations nationwide, sectors heavily impacted by the pandemic crisis, and other energy-related occupations.
This report analyzed clean energy wages, benefits and unionization rates across all five clean energy sectors (renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, clean fuels, clean vehicles, and grid modernization and storage) with detailed demographic data for 15 specific clean energy occupations, and how they compare with similar jobs in other industries. Also detailed in the report are state-specific wage findings for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The Clean Jobs, Better Jobs report is the first comprehensive analysis of wages and benefits across the clean energy sector. According to the report, workers in renewable energy, energy efficiency, grid modernization and storage, clean fuels and clean vehicles earned a median hourly wage of $23.89 in 2019 compared with the national median wage of $19.14. In addition, jobs in many clean energy sectors are more likely to be unionized and come with health care and retirement benefits than the rest of the private sector, the analysis shows.
Clean Jobs, Better Jobs comes amid the growing national dialogue around clean energy as federal and state leaders look for ways to restart the economy. The findings underscore the opportunity to advance smart clean energy policies that create higher-wage opportunities putting Americans back to work quickly rebuilding a cleaner, more resilient and more equitable economy. The report also provides detailed wage, benefit, education and demographic data for 15 specific clean energy occupations, and how they compare with similar jobs in other industries outside of clean energy.
Overall, median wages in clean energy are significantly higher than median wages in sectors such as retail, services, recreation and accommodations, especially when it comes to entry-level wages. Solar energy workers earn $24.48 an hour, while wind and grid modernization jobs pay on average more than $25 an hour. Energy efficiency – the largest employer in the nation’s energy sector – supports a median hourly wage of $24.44, about 28% above the national median.
Many clean energy jobs also paid better than fossil fuel jobs. Jobs in coal, natural gas and petroleum fuels paid $24.37 an hour, while solar and wind jobs combined for a $24.85 median hourly wage. Clean energy industries also employed about three times more workers than fossil fuels did in 2019, and, unlike fossil fuel jobs, clean energy jobs are available in every state, regardless of geology or geography.
Before COVID-19, clean energy had been one of the nation’s fastest-growing sectors. At the end of 2019, clean energy employed nearly 3.4 million workers across 99% of U.S. counties, according to E2’s Clean Jobs America report.
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 2020 and 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 this report or E2’s more than a dozen other annual clean energy employment reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]).
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The 2020 Virtual Washington State Solar Summit will be a one day conference held online Friday, October 16, 2020 with presentations covering topics relevant to the Washington solar industry. Solar Summit attendees typically include representatives from solar installation companies, utilities, manufacturers, distributors, engineers, tribes, city and state government agencies, policy makers, consultants, educators and more. EVENT FORMAT […]
Clean industry advocates who commissioned the analysis say the findings are proof that a green stimulus is necessary, along with a more immediate extension of renewable tax credits and other short-term policies. That’s been a recurring request as the pandemic grinds on. But the regional breakdown of job losses may also raise questions about its […]
40+ states continue to suffer double-digit unemployment in clean energy 14% of sector’s workforce still jobless as industry nears slow season WASHINGTON (October 8, 2020) – The clean energy industry expected to add over 175,000 jobs this year, but enters the final months of 2020 down 477,862 jobs as a stalled recovery plagues the sector. […]
Things got slightly better for the sector in September, when 12,500 jobs were added. The 477,900 unemployment figure is down from the 594,300 jobs that had been lost in March and April. However, clean energy job growth last month was 60 percent slower than job growth nationwide, the analysis said.
Consumer sentiment is already driving this movement. But those market forces are not enough to stave off the ill-effects of global warming. According to a just-released study by Environmental Entrepreneurs, E4TheFuture and the American Council on Renewable Energy, the recession has taken its toll: before the coronavirus, employers projected at least 175,000 clean energy jobs […]