Jobs in the clean energy sector increased in all states in the US last year, according to a report published on Wednesday by the US Department of Energy.
The US Energy and Employment Jobs Report found that clean energy jobs grew 3.9% nationally in 2022, adding 114,000 jobs to the sector. The top three states for growth were California, West Virginia and Texas.
The growth is attributed largely to an increase in investment in low-carbon and clean technologies, in line with the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), pushed by the Investing in America agenda, which aims to produce 100% clean electricity nationally by 2035.
According to the report, growth occurred mostly within the electrical power sector. Clean energy technologies such as solar and wind power accounted for more than 84% of new electric power generation jobs, representing a 3.6% increase and adding more than 21,000 new jobs. Within each specific sector, solar power saw an increase of 12,000 jobs, with wind power experiencing 4.5% growth with 5,000 new jobs.
Jobs relating to zero-emissions vehicles including electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrids and hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles saw growth of almost 21%, adding more than 38,000 new jobs. The most rapid growth was in battery EVs, which saw a 27% increase from 2021 and an additional 28,000 jobs. According to the report, the growth rate in the sector was almost 17 times faster than in the gasoline and diesel vehicle sector. Rapid growth last year was due largely to an uptick in localised EV production, a result of the IRA’s subsidies and tax benefits for locally sources EV battery materials.
Growth in clean energy jobs specifically was higher than overall job growth in the country, the report found, reflecting a shift in investment patterns as efforts to meet net-zero targets intensify.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M Granholm said in a statement: “Today’s report shows that the clean energy transition is accelerating, with job growth across every pocket of America, and that unionised employers are filling these new positions with much more ease than non-unionised employers.
“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,” she added.
The report also found that women were entering the energy sector in larger numbers, making up more than half of the total 300,000 jobs added last year, compared with just 26% of the total national workforce within energy. However, Black and Hispanic workers remain underrepresented within the industry.
