Advanced Energy Perspectives

The advanced energy industry employed just over 3.5 million U.S. workers in 2018, an increase of 125,000 jobs over 2017. Advanced energy employment grew 4% last year, more than twice as fast as overall U.S. employment growth, at 1.5%. And the growth continues: Employers expect to add 6% more advanced energy jobs in the coming year. These are some of the findings derived from the 2019 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by BW Research Partnership. Want more proof that advanced energy is a major source of employment? Comparison to other significant U.S. industries might help.

Advanced energy employs 3.4 million workers across the United States, supporting more jobs than retail stores and twice as many as hotels and motels. These are some of the findings of AEE’s analysis of the latest data on energy sector employment. The U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), published this year by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and last year by the U.S. Department of Energy, is the definitive source of information on energy industry jobs in the United States. But digging into the data underlying the report, in collaboration with labor market research firm BW Research Associates, which administers the nationwide survey it is based on, reveals important trends in the advanced energy industry, which is both growing and changing.

Chuck Fernandez takes a selfie with the solar array he just installed in Lancaster, Calif. Image courtesy of Mr. Fernandez and NEXTracker.

Last week, eight major business associations across the spectrum commonly known as “clean energy,” including AEE, held a daylong social media event celebrating the employment impact of our collective industries. Under the #CleanEnergyJobs hashtag, more than 900 companies, organizations, and individuals sent out messages, infographics, videos, and photos – including more than a few selfies and team pics – extolling life on the job in clean energy. It was all to amplify a bit of powerful economic news: Based on the latest data from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, clean energy now supports more than 3 million U.S. jobs – equal to the employment provided by retail stores, and twice as many as building construction. We thought this news was worth shouting, if not from the rooftops, at least via Twitter!

For years now, AEE has been tracking the growth of the advanced energy industry in terms of dollars. Since 2011, U.S. advanced energy revenue has grown 29%, reaching $200 billion in 2015. While market growth has been impressive, we have struggled to pinpoint the number of jobs supported by the industry given the complexity of industry surveys. But now, thanks to newly available data, we can say definitively that advanced energy is a major source of employment in the U.S. How does advanced energy measure up compared to other employment sectors? Let’s look at the numbers.