Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience

The document provides a comprehensive overview 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 people in 2018. It details specific employment figures for various technologies—such as solar, wind, and biofuels—and identifies China as the global leader in renewable energy employment. Additionally, it notes the emergence of climate adaptation and resilience jobs, though standardized data collection for these roles remains limited.

• The energy efficiency sector in the United States is a major employer, with over 3 million people employed when including energy storage, public transit, smart grids/micro grids, and vehicles. 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 employer globally with approximately 3,605,000 jobs, followed by biofuels (2,063,000) and hydropower (2,054,000).
• China is the world leader in renewable energy employment with approximately 4,078,000 direct and indirect jobs. It leads in five specific sectors: solar PV, wind, solar heating and cooling, biogas, and CSP, with solar PV alone providing about 54 percent of China's renewable energy jobs.
• 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 biofuels sector, including corn ethanol and other biofuels, employed 106,709 people.
• Climate adaptation and resilience are emerging as critical employment areas, though the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Standard Occupation Classification system lacks specific codes for comprehensive analysis. Preliminary data from the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) indicates employment is primarily 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), India (719,000 jobs), and the United States (855,000 jobs). Brazil is the global leader in liquid biofuel employment with approximately 832,000 jobs.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2019). Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_0719.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience. 2019. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_0719.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience |date=July 2019 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_0719.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2019jobs, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_0719.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }