Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience

The document provides a detailed breakdown of 'green jobs', highlighting that the U.S. energy efficiency sector employs over 3 million people and the global renewable energy sector employed 11 million in 2018. It identifies China as the global leader in renewable energy employment and notes the emergence of climate adaptation and resilience as critical new areas of job growth, despite a lack of standardized tracking codes in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics system.

• The energy efficiency sector in the United States is a major employer, with more than 3 million people employed. According to the U.S. Energy Employment Report (USEER), 2,324,866 people worked in the sector in 2018, representing a 5.37 percent increase since 2016, the highest growth rate in the country's energy sector.
• Global renewable energy employment reached 11 million people in 2018, an increase of 700,000 from 2017. Solar PV is the largest global employer in this sector with approximately 3,605,000 jobs, followed by biofuels and hydropower.
• China is the world leader in renewable energy employment with roughly 4,078,000 direct and indirect jobs. It leads the world in five specific sectors: solar PV, wind, solar heating and cooling, biogas, and CSP.
• In the United States, renewable energy employment varies by technology. In 2018, solar power supported 242,343 jobs (a 3.2 percent decline), while wind power provided 111,166 jobs (a 3.5 percent increase). The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimated total U.S. renewable energy employment at 855,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2018.
• Climate adaptation and resilience are rapidly emerging employment areas, though they lack comprehensive tracking in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Standard Occupation Classification system. Preliminary analysis by the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) indicates employment is predominantly in government (40 percent), non-governmental organizations (36 percent), and the private sector (16 percent).
• Other major global renewable energy employers include Brazil (1,125,000 jobs), the European Union (1,235,000 jobs), and India (719,000 jobs). Brazil is the global leader in liquid biofuel employment with approximately 832,000 jobs.

APA

Schneer, K., & McGinn, A. (2019). Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-energy-efficiency-and-resilience-2019

Chicago

Schneer, Katie, and Anna McGinn. Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2019. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-energy-efficiency-and-resilience-2019.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schneer |first1=Katie |last2=McGinn |first2=Anna |title=Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=23 July 2019 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-energy-efficiency-and-resilience-2019 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schneer2019jobs, author = {Schneer, Katie and McGinn, Anna}, title = {{Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-energy-efficiency-and-resilience-2019}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }