Top 7 takeaways from the 2021 Clean Jobs Midwest Report

Last year was the first year-over-year decline since E2, Clean Energy Trust and CEEM began tracking Minnesota clean energy jobs. Last year’s job losses were a dramatic change of pace for the usually fast-growing industry, with more than 11,500 Minnesota clean energy workers having filed for unemployment at one point. Despite the setbacks, clean energy jobs rebounded quicker than the overall Minnesota workforce and are expected to continue growing this year and next.

Check out our top seven findings from the report below to get a fuller picture of the state of clean energy jobs in Minnesota:

1. Minnesota is home to over 55,300 clean energy jobs

   

   • To put this number in context, that is more than the number of lawyers, accountants and auditors, web developers, and real estate agents combined.
   • This number is a 10.5% loss in jobs in 2020 due to the pandemic — the first year-over-year decline since E2, Clean Energy Trust, and CEEM began tracking Minnesota clean energy jobs.
   • The job losses in 2020 were a huge change of pace — in the 3 years prior, clean energy jobs grew 3 times as fast as overall statewide employment.

2. Minnesota’s clean energy sector grew by 10% during the second half of 2020, twice as fast as overall state job growth

   • Despite the job losses that started the year, the sector did surge back 10 percent in the second half of the year to recover nearly half of the jobs initially lost.
   • Despite the setbacks, clean energy jobs rebounded about twice as fast as the overall Minnesota workforce.
   • This rapid recovery shows how resilient Minnesota’s clean energy industry is, and how they are a vital component to rebuilding the state’s economy.

3. Wind jobs in Minnesota (a subsector of renewable energy jobs) are growing fast — hitting 8% growth last year!

   

   • While renewable energy jobs were down overall, the wind subsector was up an impressive 8 percent.
   • Last year is shaping up to be a record year for wind installations, far surpassing the previous record of 13.2 GW added in 2012. The record level of annual capacity additions in 2020 was driven by developers scheduling project completion in time to qualify for the full-valued Production Tax Credit from 2016.
   • Minnesota is also home to some of the largest wind construction companies in the country — both Mortenson and Blattner Energy are headquartered in the state, and according to an EDF Renewables policy and have likely helped contribute to the growth in wind energy jobs.

4. More than 1 in 3 clean energy jobs are located in Greater Minnesota

   

   • This number is about on par with prior years, but remains an important reminder and indicator that the clean energy industry is helping grow economies all across the state, not just here in the metro.
   • St. Cloud and Duluth continue to be the biggest hubs for clean energy jobs behind the Twin Cities.

5. Advanced transportation is Minnesota’s fastest-growing clean energy sector at 2% growth!

   • More than 3,000 Minnesotans currently work in this sector. This growth comes at a time when the Clean Cars Minnesota ruling has officially gone into effect, and big auto dealers are making public commitments of going fully electric or at least partially electric within the next decade. We expect to see this industry continue to grow.

6. Businesses project a job growth rate of 8% in the next year.

   

   • There are a few promising policies that would provide certainty for businesses, and ensure Minnesota clean energy job growth remains strong.
     • Strengthening Minnesota’s building standards has the potential for massive energy and greenhouse gas reductions and job growth.
     • Passing a 100% clean electricity standard in Minnesota will create thousands of new jobs.

7. In 2020, 71 percent of Minnesota’s clean energy businesses employed fewer than 20 people

   • In Minnesota, small businesses drive the state’s clean energy sector. However, in 2020, 86% of clean energy employers said it was somewhat or very difficult to find qualified candidates. Investing in workforce development will be critical to ensuring Minnesota can supply enough skilled workers to meet the labor demands of the future.

You can find the full report as well as more information about Minnesota’s clean energy jobs on our Clean Jobs Midwest page and on Twitter and LinkedIn.