Frontier Observation | Stunning data from the U.S. Department of Energy reveals new trend

The recently released 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) shows that employment in the clean energy industry is growing rapidly, far exceeding the growth rate of other sectors of the energy industry and the overall U.S. economy. The report was prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy to provide a comprehensive analysis of employment dynamics in the energy industry.

The U.S. Department of Energy said that clean energy jobs will surge by 142,000 in 2023, thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s huge investments in climate, clean energy and manufacturing. Last year, the energy industry created more than 250,000 new jobs, of which clean energy jobs accounted for 56%.

According to the report, the unionization rate in the clean energy industry reached 12.4%, which is higher than the average level of 11% in the energy industry. This is mainly due to the rapid growth of unionization construction and the utility industry. The report brings together huge survey data from 42,000 companies in the United States, setting a new record for the number of companies participating in the survey.

The report noted that industries such as zero-emission vehicles, renewable energy, and energy transmission, distribution and storage all achieved significant growth.

"Our policies are working. Investments in infrastructure and the Inflation Act have begun to create jobs, starting in construction and with hundreds of thousands more jobs to come as America accelerates building factories," said U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Gerard Jennifer Granholm said. “The data clearly shows that clean energy is a driver of jobs, creating quality jobs, union jobs and retained jobs across the country, and we are working hard to dominate the global clean energy economy.”

The report shows that employment growth rates in the solar and wind energy industries reached 5.3% and 4.5% respectively, and clean energy jobs grew in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Among them, Idaho has the fastest growth rate of clean energy jobs at 7.7%, followed by Texas (6.0%) and New Mexico (5.9%).

Nearly 90,000 new energy jobs were created in the energy construction field, with a growth rate of 4.5%. These new jobs are mainly concentrated in the construction of new battery factories, solar module factories, offshore wind power ports and clean energy product storage and transportation warehouses, with a total of approximately 28,000 new jobs. From 2022 to 2023, employment growth in the public utilities and construction sectors will be the most prominent, with the public utilities sector leading the way with a strong growth rate of 5.0%, adding nearly 30,000 new jobs in one year.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments are leading to a boom in clean energy jobs in states across the country. The strength of unions in the clean energy industry is at an all-time high, a testament to our ability to simultaneously create good jobs and move the economy toward a cleaner economy. direction. The report also reveals that unionized labor plays a key role; employers report that working with unions makes it easier to recruit the skills they need and build a diverse workforce. We look forward to continuing to work with Vice. President Harris and the Department of Energy are working together to ensure clean energy jobs are high-quality, union jobs,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

The U.S. Department of Energy pointed out that the U.S. Energy Economics and Employment Report (USEER) has been working since 2016 to "better track and gain insights into employment in key energy industries through data that is difficult to obtain through other public channels." This report relies on a specially customized Energy Employer Survey that expands data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide accurate estimates of employment and workforce characteristics.