US clean energy workforce grows by almost 4%

The clean energy workforce grew by 3.9% in the US last year, adding 114,000 jobs nationally, and accounting for 40% of total energy jobs, the country’s Department of Energy (DOE) has revealed.

Clean energy technologies, such as solar and wind, were responsible for 84% of net new electric power generation roles, while jobs related to zero-emissions vehicles saw nearly 21% growth.

Although women make up just 26% of the energy workforce, they accounted for more than half of jobs added last year.

The findings also show that 30% of the energy workforce is under 30 years old, compared with the 22% national average. Only 17% of the workforce is older than 55, compared to 24% in all sectors.

Black or African American workers, as well as Hispanic or Latino workers, continued to be under-represented across the energy workforce.

US secretary of energy, Jennifer Granholm, said: “We expect to see steady growth of jobs to make and build a resilient and clean energy system, offering good-paying and secure employment opportunities to America’s workers across the country.”

Read the full findings here