The BLS Green Jobs Initiative: Measuring the Clean Economy

As the clean energy transition accelerates, workforce planners and policymakers need data on where green economy jobs are concentrated and what skills they require. BLS has developed several frameworks for this, building on the SOC and NAICS systems already used for standard labor statistics.

Defining "Green Jobs"

There is no single agreed definition of green jobs. BLS has used two approaches: output-based (jobs in industries producing environmental goods and services) and process-based (jobs in any industry where workers' duties involve environmentally friendly practices). The output-based approach is narrower and more consistent; the process-based approach is broader but harder to measure.

Clean Energy Employment Data

The Department of Energy's U.S. Energy and Employment Report provides annual counts of employment in clean energy sectors: solar, wind, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and transmission. It draws on a blend of BLS data and employer surveys. The data shows rapid growth in solar and wind installation jobs, driven by the Inflation Reduction Act.