The US clean energy sector had a banner employment year in 2023, adding 142,000 jobs, which accounted for more than half of new energy sector jobs overall.
Federal policies and investments in driving job growth have made a powerful impact – clean energy employment is growing at a rate more than double that of the broader energy sector and the overall US economy.
According to the 2024 US Energy and Employment Report (USEER) released today by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the energy workforce expanded by over 250,000 jobs in 2023, with 56% of those in clean energy.
The 2024 USEER is based on “a record number of” responses from 42,000 businesses nationwide.
For the first time, unionization in clean energy jobs hit a new milestone, with rates surpassing those in the broader energy sector. Clean energy sectors like zero-emission vehicles, renewable energy, and energy infrastructure saw significant growth.
“[A]s the report shows, union labor makes a difference; employers report that working with unions has made it easier for them to find the skilled workers they need and hire a diverse workforce,” said AFL-CIO president, Liz Shuler.
5 key findings
- Clean energy leads job growth. Clean energy jobs grew by 4.2% in 2023, more than twice the rate of overall US economic growth at 2%. This growth was evident across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with Idaho, Texas, and New Mexico in the lead.
- Solar and wind jobs surge. Solar and wind energy sectors posted strong gains, with job growth of 5.3% and 4.5%, respectively. The DOE projects that the Inflation Reduction Act will double electricity generation from clean sources by 2030, with solar and wind at the forefront.
- Construction booms. The energy construction sector added nearly 90,000 jobs in 2023, growing at 4.5%, nearly double the growth rate of the broader construction industry. This includes jobs in renewable energy projects, grid upgrades, and the construction of new clean energy factories.
- Union labor on the rise. For the first time ever, unionization rates in clean energy, at 12.4%, surpassed the average rate in the energy sector of 11%, driven by rapid growth in unionized construction and utility industries.
- Motor vehicle sector shifts to clean energy. Motor vehicle jobs are growing, and the fastest growth is in zero-emission vehicles. US-wide jobs in the motor vehicle sector grew, with clean vehicle employment increasing 11.4%, adding nearly 25,000 jobs.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “Our policies are working. We are now starting to see the job impacts of investments made through the infrastructure and inflation reduction laws – first in construction and as America builds more of these factories, we’ll see hundreds of thousands more.”
Read more: Biden awards $1.7B to bring auto manufacturing back to 8 states
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