Before the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the US economy last year, clean energy had been one of the country’s fastest growing sectors, accounting for over 40% of the workforce energy and 2.25% of the country’s total employment. By early 2020, the industry had been growing for five consecutive years, and more than 3.3 million Americans were employed in solar, wind, energy efficiency, clean vehicles and other fields, according to Clean Jobs America 2020.

That changed with the pandemic, with the industry losing 13% of an estimated 429,000 clean energy jobs across all industries, according to analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the end of last year there was a bright spot. In its recent report, BW Research noted that several clean energy sectors – energy efficiency, renewable electric power generation, clean power, energy storage and electric vehicles – make up their workforce. work in December. In the first quarter of 2021, COVID-19 clouds continued to lift for the renewable energy industry, with the passing of a $ 1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, the accelerating vaccine production and distribution and President Biden’s reaffirmed commitment to tackle climate change and create 10 million green jobs.

A separate administration-designed stimulus package could inject an additional $ 2 trillion into the economy’s infrastructure this year to support clean energy efforts and tackle climate change. Biden’s goal of achieving a carbon-free energy sector in the United States by 2035 requires building modern and sustainable infrastructure, which will mean jobs – ideally, permanent, well-paying clean energy jobs. which encompass a greater diversity of the workforce.

The what of green jobs

Green jobs, as defined by the BLS, produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources, or jobs that make companies’ production processes more environmentally friendly.

According to government projections, from 2016 to 2026, green jobs are expected to increase by more than 9% nationwide. This translates into employment growth of 198,500 workers.

Two jobs in particular are expected to experience massive growth. Employment for solar PV installers is expected to increase by 105%, which means that it will more than double from 2016 to 2026. (Besides, you can get this job with just a diploma from (high school education) Wind turbine service technicians will see employment growth of 96%.

Along the renewable energy food chain, workers will be needed – research and development scientists, engineers and software developers in smart grids, power generation, energy storage and data communication. , construction and maintenance workers in factories and solar / wind farms; operations, finance, sales and marketing assistants in product marketing, and many more.

Take construction. Before the pandemic, 1.7 million workers in the United States were employed in construction in the clean energy sector, installing new renewable energy systems, making buildings and schools more energy efficient, repairing the electricity grid and more , according to Clean Jobs America 2020. Construction led the renewable energy industry, with 1 in 5 construction workers nationwide employed in clean energy. Of these construction jobs, 43% are in solar and wind power. The remaining green jobs are in manufacturing, professional services, agriculture, utilities and distribution.

The Brookings Institution’s April 2019 report, “Advancing Inclusion Through Clean Energy Jobs,” predicts that the transition to a clean energy economy will primarily affect 320 unique occupations in three industry sectors: clean energy, energy efficiency and environmental management.

All types of people with varied knowledge and skills from movable hammers to building solar farms and climbing ladders to maintaining wind turbines to building widgets and building software systems to maximize the return on investment, will be required.

While Brookings reports that many clean energy economics occupations have lower educational requirements and more on-the-job training, careers specifically in clean power generation and energy efficiency often require greater scientific knowledge and technical skills.

The place of green jobs

California remained the undisputed leader of the country in clean energy jobs until 2019, followed by Texas, Florida, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio. , North Carolina and Virginia. In these states, the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors employed the most people, according to Clean Jobs America 2020.

What green jobs pay

Beyond green jobs, there is another consideration: how these jobs contribute to the country’s economy and workers’ wallets… And green jobs pay well. The average annual salary for green jobs is $ 72,057, according to BLS data. That’s 22% higher (and almost $ 16,000 more) than the average annual salary for non-green jobs, which is $ 56,334. The highest-paying green job title is Director of Architecture and Engineering, who pays an average of $ 138,700 per year.

How to fill green jobs

With so much going on in the renewable energy industry, you’d think hiring would be easy. Instead, it is extremely difficult to find qualified candidates in this booming industry. Hiring managers confirm this sentiment, as does research from the Future of Energy Initiative and the National Association of National Energy Officials. The challenge is that many candidates interested in joining the industry lack experience, training, technical knowledge, skills and certifications. Even when qualified candidates meet the job requirements, they may lack the “soft skills” and culture necessary for the business in question.

Often the challenge is recruiting candidates who have both – the right skills and a zeal for world mission. Hiring an individual with only one or the other can be like finding a full stack developer without the entire stack.

Finding the best candidates for green jobs

Finding the best people also requires a targeted, thoughtful and in-depth approach. This is especially important in a candidate-driven market where talented individuals who are satisfied with their current roles receive multiple calls from multiple recruiters on a daily basis regarding multiple opportunities.

In some cases, hiring managers will try to take matters into their own hands, survey LinkedIn profiles, and sift through hundreds of resumes in the hopes of finding the perfect, interested candidate.

At Duffy Group, we connect renewable energy companies with top talent using our five-step process called recruiting. Between detective and sales, the recruitment search begins by taking stock of the company – its mission, its values ​​and its points of difference – and ends with a comprehensive report containing business intelligence data, selected candidates and a list full of leads to consider in future research.

A good example is our work with REC Solar. The company reached out to our team to help them fill 20 key positions in a short period of time. We did this by targeting regional and national competitors.
Not only were we able to find outstanding candidates in an average of 15 days, but also provided the company with data to understand the competitive landscape. Our partnership with the company has continued for over three years.

Eden Higgins is Vice President and Head of the Alternative / Renewable Energy Practice Group at Duffy Group, Inc., which seeks and recruits candidates in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Europe and Asia.