DOE Releases Second Annual National Energy Employment Analysis
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy today released the agency’s second annual analysis of how changes in America’s energy profile are affecting national employment in key sectors of the economy. By administering a new supplemental survey to over 30,000 energy sector employers, the Department’s 2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) tracked dramatic growth in several key sectors of the U.S. economy in 2016.
“This report verifies the dynamic role that our energy technologies and infrastructure play in a 21st century economy,” said DOE Senior Advisor on Industrial and Economic Policy David Foster. “Whether producing natural gas or solar power at increasingly lower prices or reducing our consumption of energy through smart grids and fuel efficient vehicles, energy innovation is proving itself as the important driver of economic growth in America, producing 14% of the new jobs in 2016.”
Some key findings of the report include:
6.4 million Americans now work in the Traditional Energy and Energy Efficiency industries which added over 300,000 net new jobs in 2016, 14% of the nation’s job growth
Energy efficiency jobs increased by 133,000 jobs for a total of 2.2 million
Investments in energy transmission, distribution and storage (our energy infrastructure) generated 65,000 new jobs
Solar industry employment jumped by over 73,000 jobs or 25%
Wind industry employment added 25,000 new jobs to land at 102,000
USEER examines four sectors of the economy — electric power generation and fuels; transmission, wholesale distribution, and storage; energy efficiency; and motor vehicles — which cumulatively account for almost all of the United States’ energy production and distribution system and roughly 70 percent of U.S. energy consumption. By looking at such a wide portion of the energy economy, USEER can provide the public and policy makers with a clearer picture of how changes in energy technology, systems, and usage are affecting the economy and creating or displacing jobs.
Additional findings of the 2017 USEER include:
Of the 1.9 million workers in Electric Power Generation and Fuels, 800,000 employees contribute to the production of low-carbon electricity, including renewable energy, nuclear energy and low emission natural gas
Roughly 32 percent of the 6.5 million employees in the U.S. construction industry work on energy or building energy efficiency projects
In an analysis of the 2.4 million employees in the Motor Vehicles industry, the 2017 USEER identified 259,000 jobs supported by alternative fuels vehicles, an increase of 69,000 during 2016
The report also found several energy industries with projected increases in new jobs. Responding to the USEER survey of employers, the energy efficiency sector predicted hiring rates of 9 percent in 2017, or 198,000 new hires. Projected hiring rates were at 7 percent within the electric power generation sector. Transmission, wholesale distribution, and storage firms anticipate 6 percent employment growth in 2016. However, the Fuels sector predicts a decline of 3 percent during 2017.
