Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2014)

The document compiles job statistics for clean energy sectors, noting a lack of standardized measurement in the U.S. following the end of the BLS Green Careers program. It details employment figures across energy efficiency (buildings, vehicles, smart grids) and renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, biofuels), while providing global context with a focus on China, Brazil, and the European Union.

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) identified 3.4 million green jobs in the United States at the end of 2011, but ceased providing updated 'measuring green jobs' products on March 1, 2013, due to budget cuts from sequestration.
• In the U.S. energy efficiency sector, an investment of $1 million supports approximately 20 jobs, which exceeds the economy-wide average of 17 jobs per $1 million investment.
• U.S. renewable energy employment varies by technology: the solar industry had nearly 143,000 jobs in 2013, the wind industry directly supported 50,500 full-time-equivalent jobs in 2013, and the hydropower industry supports between 200,000 and 300,000 jobs.
• The renewable fuels industry in the U.S. supported 852,056 jobs in 2014, comprising 292,166 direct jobs, 226,098 induced jobs, and 333,792 supplier chain jobs.
• Globally, the renewable energy sector supported 6.5 million jobs, with solar photovoltaic (2.3 million jobs) and wind power (0.8 million jobs) being the most dynamic sectors.
• China was the world's largest employer in the renewable energy sector in 2013 with 2.64 million people, the majority of whom (1.6 million) worked in solar photovoltaics.
• In Brazil, the renewable energy industries supported 894,000 jobs in 2013, led by bioenergy with 539,000 direct jobs in bioethanol and 82,000 in biodiesel.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2014). Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2014). https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_122214.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2014). 2014. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_122214.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2014) |date=December 2014 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_122214.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2014jobs, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2014)}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_122214.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }