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September 23, 2021
See our latest white paper on renewable energy and energy efficiency jobs.
Responding to the climate crisis provides an immense opportunity for job creation. Those jobs—jobs that help mitigate and adapt to climate change—are climate jobs. In recent years, climate jobs have been on the rise in the United States. However, the economy-wide impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic affected climate employment: eight percent of climate jobs were shed in 2020. Despite this, employment in some climate industries increased in 2020, and many climate jobs are expected to recover in 2021. In total, there were well over 4.1 million climate jobs in 2020.
Energy efficiency supported 2.1 million jobs in 2020. This includes people who design, install, distribute, and manufacture energy-efficient products and services. The states with the most energy efficiency jobs in 2020 were California (283,800 jobs), Texas (152,100), New York (121,000), and Florida (108,900). While energy efficiency jobs fell 11.4 percent in 2020, they are expected to increase 10.1 percent in 2021.
Energy transmission, distribution, and storage supported 763,000 jobs in 2020. The sector overall lost three percent of its jobs in 2020, but battery storage added 800 jobs. California had the highest energy storage and grid employment (22,600 jobs), with Texas (12,400) and Nevada (9,200) following. In the coming years, transmission, distribution, and storage employment will likely grow to support increased renewable energy connecting to the electric grid.
Renewable energy supported 504,600 jobs in 2020. Employment in the sector decreased by six percent in 2020, but wind energy added 2,000 jobs. Significant job growth in renewable energy is anticipated; wind turbine service technicians and solar photovoltaic installers are projected to be the fastest and third-fastest growing occupations, respectively, across the entire economy in the coming decade.
Clean vehicles supported 261,300 jobs in 2020. This includes about 119,700 jobs in hybrid electric vehicles, 83,700 jobs in electric vehicles, 47,800 jobs in plug-in hybrid vehicles, and 10,000 jobs in hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles. Despite the economic impacts of COVID-19, employment in the hybrid electric and electric vehicle industry increased six and eight percent, respectively, in 2020.
Renewable fuels supported 103,000 jobs in 2020. This includes about 33,500 jobs in corn ethanol, 19,500 jobs in other ethanol fuels, 32,400 jobs in woody biomass, and 17,600 jobs in other biofuels.
Public transportation agencies supported 435,000 direct jobs in 2018, and every $1 billion invested in public transportation can yield 50,000 jobs.
Climate adaptation and resilience are rapidly emerging areas of employment as a result of climate change impacts. The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP), the sector's main professional association, represents 38 organizational members that employ over 100,000 people. ASAP reports that at least 1,000 professional-level adaptation jobs were hired for in 2019 and another 1,200 in 2020. Adaptation jobs exist in all 50 states, with the most opportunities in California, Washington, D.C., and New York. Adaptation and resilience are incorporated into existing jobs and also result in new jobs. In fact, job creation in this sector is expected to accelerate, especially with additional federal investment in adaptation and resilience. For example, it is estimated that for every $1 billion invested in flood resilience, 40,000 jobs would be created, mostly in construction and retail.
Further investment in adaptation and resilience workforce tracking, such as revisions to the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system managed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, would aid analysis of employment in this sector. To learn more about adaptation jobs, check out EESI’s explainer.
There is significant potential for job creation in the climate sector. It is estimated that achieving 50 to 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 could create 500,000–600,000 jobs in solar, wind, and battery storage. Other climate policies—such as a national Clean Electricity Payment Program that could create 7.7 million job-years* over the next decade—could further boost the climate workforce. Another emerging area of climate employment, plugging orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells, could also create thousands of jobs with federal investment. Several other types of climate jobs exist; for example, ecological restoration supported 126,000 jobs in 2015. While millions of these climate jobs already exist, millions more could be created through federal efforts focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate impacts.
* A job-year is one job worked by one person for one year.
Author: Savannah Bertrand
Editor: Anna McGinn
For the endnotes, please download the PDF version of this issue brief.
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