Annual US Energy and Employment Report (USEER) shows strength in clean energy jobs
WASHINGTON DC. The US Department of Energy (DOE) this week released the 2022 US Energy and Employment Report (USEER), a comprehensive study designed to track and understand employment trends across the energy sector and within key energy technologies. The report covers 2021, an unprecedented and unpredictable year for American families and businesses as the country began its slow recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite economic uncertainty, however, the USEER analysis shows that the energy sector experienced positive job growth, increasing 4.0% from 2020 to 2021, surpassing overall U.S. employment, which climbed 2.8% over the same period. Overall, the total number of energy jobs increased, from 7.5 million in 2020 to more than 7.8 million in 2021, following a sharp decline in 2020. There are more than 3 million jobs, 40% of the total energy jobs, which support the reduction of US emissions to zero across multiple sectors – which underscores the path to success in achieving President Biden’s goal of a net zero-emission economy by 2050. President Biden’s leadership, vision, and bipartisan infrastructure law will help grow clean energy jobs at a remarkable pace and pay good jobs to America’s workers in communities across the country.
“Amid the unique challenges of a nation emerging from a global pandemic, America’s energy sector stands out with significant job growth in almost every industry,” he said. US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE’s USER report shows that jobs that are critical to our clean energy transition are on the rise and are ready for continued expansion thanks to the historic investments of the president’s two-party infrastructure law.”
The 2022 USER, originally launched in 2016, covers five major energy industries: electric power generation; motor vehicles; energy efficiency; transmission, distribution and storage; and fuel. The findings show that all industries, except fuel, experienced net positive job growth in 2021.
Sectors with significant job growth
- Jobs in electric vehicles increased by 26.2%, adding 21,961 new jobs.
- Jobs for hybrid electric vehicles increased by 19.7%, adding 23,577 new jobs.
- Jobs in solar power increased by 5.4%, adding 17,212 new jobs.
- Wind energy jobs increased by 2.9%, adding 3,347 new jobs.
- Jobs in energy efficiency increased by 2.7%, adding 57,741 new jobs.
- Transmission, distribution and storage tasks increased by 1.9%, adding 22,779 new posts.
States with remarkable job growth
Clean energy has been a major source of job growth in many states. The three states with the highest growth rates for energy work in general were Michigan, California and Texas.
- Michigan created 35,463 net jobs, including 5,136 new jobs in low- or no-carbon motor vehicles.
- Texas gained 30,903 net jobs, including 4,858 new jobs in low- or no-carbon motor vehicles, 6,771 new jobs in energy efficiency and 1,610 new jobs in solar power.
- California created 29,429 energy jobs, including 11,050 new jobs in low- or zero-carbon motor vehicles, 5,949 new jobs in energy efficiency and 1,994 new jobs in solar power.
- West Virginia and Pennsylvania added the most jobs in transmission, distribution and storage, with 7,321 and 5,726 new jobs, respectively.
The 2022 USEER workforce and demographic analysis show that 10% of workers in the energy sector are represented by a trade union or covered by project labor agreements, compared to 6% within the private sector nationally. The energy workforce also has a higher concentration of veterans than the U.S. workforce average (9% vs. 6%).
Despite job growth, energy jobs have still not recovered to the pre-pandemic, 2019 levels. While almost all jobs in net-zero-aligned areas experienced positive growth in 2021, only a few industries, including wind energy, electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, had more jobs in 2021 than before the pandemic. In addition, nuclear, coal and petroleum jobs declined in 2021.
“Clean energy creates jobs that pay well, stimulates our economy and protects our environment. I have long insisted on consistent data collection to guide our energy and labor force development policies. “It is promising to see such an impressive growth in the energy sector in 2021 – which has helped us recover from the pandemic in New Hampshire and across the country,” he said. US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH). “I look forward to sharing this data in the Senate to better inform our energy policy. I will continue to work on dual solutions that improve clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives to build a more sustainable, resilient future. ”
“Michigan’s economy is on the move and thanks to our hardworking people and innovative businesses, we are now a top three state for clean energy vehicle job growth,” he said. Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan. “We will continue to promote job growth in clean energy vehicles and find ways to also pursue our long-term carbon neutrality goals by expanding clean energy production and making energy efficient home repairs, and reducing costs for families and communities . The future for clean energy is bright, and Michigan is proud to lead the way. ”
“As the USEER 2022 report shows, clean energy sectors continue to grow and create jobs across the country. As a nation, it is crucial that we do everything we can to ensure that the growth of these sectors continues and that the jobs created are good union jobs. That’s why it’s so important for the United States to invest in clean energy, targeting communities that need it most — including energy transition communities — and strong labor and household content standards. The Biden administration has made the creation of good trade union works a core focus of their work to combat climate change. If we want to build a clean economy that works for everyone, we need a lot of partners in that job, ”he said. BlueGreen Alliance CEO Jason Walsh.
“The Department of Energy under the leadership of Secretary Granholm has worked tirelessly to promote roads to the middle class that our unions create jobs,” he said. Sean McGarvey, President of the North American Trade Unions. “The three million men and women of North America’s construction unions who work every day to meet our country’s energy needs appreciate the support of the Biden administration, and we will continue to create opportunities for underserved communities to join us. to join and increase our participation in a modern, sustainable and responsible energy industry. ”
Investing in the Clean Energy Economy
The USEER demonstrates that achieving a fair transition to a net zero-emission economy wide by 2050, with a diverse workforce, will require additional public and private investment in the clean energy sector. It will also require industry commitment to support workers, by creating stable and secure, well-paid jobs and investing in education and training programs to help workers of all backgrounds advance their clean energy careers.
From now on, President Biden’s two-party infrastructure law will provide significant investments in clean energy infrastructure, including $ 62 billion for DOE to expand access to energy efficiency; delivers reliable, clean and affordable power to more Americans; and build the technology of tomorrow. The Act also supports transitional energy communities with investments of $ 750M for production in coal communities and $ 500M for clean energy demonstrations on mining lands.
The 2022 USER is based on surveys of approximately 33,000 private energy enterprises combined with public labor data to produce estimates of employment and labor force characteristics.
The full report, state report and fact sheet can be found at www.energy.gov/user.
Courtesy of energy.gov
Check out our brand new E-bike guide. If you are curious about electric bikes, this is the best place to start your e-mobility journey!
Do you appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality and clean technology news coverage? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica member, Supporter, Technician or Ambassador – or a patron on Patreon.