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

    By Nancy Vu,

    2 days ago

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    More than half the jobs added to the energy sector last year were clean energy jobs, with a higher-than-average unionization rate compared to the rest of the industry, according to a jobs report released by the Department of Energy . The latest data come as the Biden administration has been making the case that an investment into clean energy would equate to job growth.

    The sector added over 250,000 jobs in 2023, with 56% of those jobs in clean energy, according to this year’s energy and employment report. 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 help 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 spending 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 reported strong job growth, growing at 5.3% and 4.5%, respectively. Solar jobs were more demographically diverse and unionized, according to the report.

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