Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

The document provides a comprehensive overview of 'green jobs' in the US and internationally, highlighting the growth of sectors like solar, wind, and energy efficiency. It notes that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics ceased its Green Careers program in 2013, leading to a reliance on fragmented data from multiple sources. Globally, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) identifies China as the leader in renewable energy employment, with solar PV being the largest global employer in the sector.

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stopped collecting green job statistics in March 2013 after the Administration ordered spending cuts under the amended Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, resulting in the elimination of the Green Careers program.
• In the United States, the green building sector was projected to support over 2.3 million jobs in 2015 and more than 3.3 million jobs by 2018, which would represent one-third of all U.S. construction jobs.
• The solar energy industry in the U.S. provided 173,807 direct jobs as of November 2014, a 21.8 percent increase from November 2013; when including indirect and induced impacts, total employment exceeded 705,000 jobs.
• The wind energy industry in the U.S. provided 73,000 full-time equivalent jobs by the end of 2014, with Texas being the largest state employer in the sector with over 17,000 people.
• Globally, the renewable energy sector employed 7.7 million direct and indirect workers in 2014, with solar PV being the largest employer at roughly 2.5 million jobs, followed by liquid biofuels (1.8 million) and wind power (approximately one million).
• China is the global leader in renewable energy employment with approximately 3.4 million direct and indirect jobs, leading in eight of the nine sectors analyzed by IRENA, including solar PV (1.6 million jobs), solar heating/cooling (600,000 jobs), and wind power (502,400 jobs).
• Brazil holds the second highest number of renewable energy jobs worldwide at 934,000, primarily driven by liquid biofuels, which account for 845,000 jobs.
• India and Germany rank fourth and fifth globally in renewable energy employment, with 437,000 and 371,000 jobs respectively.

APA

Hettipola, S. (2015). Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency-2015

Chicago

Hettipola, Sharmen. Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2015. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency-2015.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hettipola |first1=Sharmen |title=Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=6 November 2015 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency-2015 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hettipola2015jobs, author = {Hettipola, Sharmen}, title = {{Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency-2015}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }