Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments

Publication Date: June 2008

Publisher: Political Economy Research Institute

Author(s): Jeannette Wicks-Lim; Robert Pollin

Research Area: Environment; Labor

Type: Report

Abstract:

This report provides a snapshot of what kinds of jobs are needed to build a green economy in the United States. We focus on six key strategies for attacking global warming and highlight some of the major “green jobs” associated with each of these approaches.

The six green strategies we examine here are: building retrofitting, mass transit, energy-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power, and cellulosic biomass fuels. We show that the vast majority of jobs associated with these six green strategies are in the same areas of employment that people already work in to-day, in every region and state of the country. For example, constructing wind farms creates jobs for sheet metal workers, machinists and truck drivers, among many others. Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings through retrofitting relies, among others, on roofers, insulators and building inspectors. What makes these entirely familiar occupations “green jobs” is that the people working in them are contributing their everyday labors toward building a green economy. We therefore consider and refer to the strategies examined in this report as green investments, in addition to global warming solutions.