More than half of energy jobs in 2023 were green jobs, per DOE report – Washington Examiner

According to this year’s energy and employment report, the sector added over 250,000 jobs in 2023, with 56% of those jobs in clean energy. Furthermore, for the first time, green jobs had higher unionization rates than those in the sector at large — 12.4% compared to 11%, respectively. 

Data pointing to the growth in unionized, clean energy jobs helps to strengthen Democrats’ big bet on the green transition. Members of the party invested billions in green technology and infrastructure to help the U.S. reduce emissions and meet global climate goals – while simultaneously arguing that the investment would pay off in job growth. 

“Put it all together, and you get an energy job sector that is strong and only getting stronger, with the Biden-Harris administration’s leadership and investments growing year-over-year, in quantity, quality and in consistency as well,” Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk said in a call with reporters. 

Administration officials stressed during the call that energy employers are having “less difficulty” hiring qualified workers than the year before  – addressing a criticism that many fossil fuel workers would be left behind in the green transition. Still, the report noted that 76% of employers across the industry reported at least “some difficulty” in finding qualified employees, with the highest rates being in the motor vehicle and electric power generation industries.

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Last year, clean energy jobs grew by 3.9%, outpacing overall job growth in the country in 2022. Employment increased across five clean technology categories: energy efficiency, fuels, motor vehicles, transmission, distribution, and storage. The sectors that saw the fastest employment growth were utilities and construction. 

Both wind and solar specifically reported strong job growth, growing at 5.3% and 4.5%, respectively. Solar jobs in particular were more demographically diverse and unionized, according to the report.