Top 7 things to remember from the 2019 Clean Jobs Midwest Report
April 11, 2019
With what feels like a very important report rollout happening every few weeks in the clean energy community, how does one keep it all straight? We break down the seven most important things to remember in the 2019 Clean Jobs Midwest Report.
With what feels like a very important report rollout happening every few weeks in the clean energy community, how does one keep it all straight? We break down the most important things to remember in the 2019 Clean Jobs Midwest Report.
Minnesota is home to more than 61,000 clean energy jobs! These jobs are in energy efficiency, manufacturing energy efficient windows and doors, or in construction working to retrofit buildings and save people money with efficient lighting or HVAC systems. Or they could be employed in industries that generate power wind, solar, bioenergy, geothermal, and low-impact hydro technologies.
- Growth! The story of growth and the clean energy sector are one in the same. The clean energy sector grew by 4.7% last year alone! And of note: clean energy jobs are growing 2.5 times faster than Minnesota’s overall economy and that’s in part due to policies passed at the state level. In the words of Ever-Green Energy at our report rollout, “We aspire to see policies that are more adaptable to innovation, giving new solutions a chance to compete in the marketplace, while still providing reliable and cost-effective energy to customers.”
- Renewable energy and advanced transportation are our clean energy sector rock stars! Renewable energy jobs grew the fastest in the entire Midwest at 12%. And advanced transportation jobs grew the fastest of all clean energy sectors at a whopping 17% last year!
Energy efficiency is our cheapest and cleanest form of energy PLUS the sector employs 3 out of every 4 clean energy workers for a total of more than 46,000 Minnesotans. In the words of The Weidt Group at our press conference launch, “We’ve helped save building owners and tenants over $132 million per year in energy costs and over 1400 gigawatts hours of electricity annually…Energy is a win-win proposition for Minnesota.”
- Clean energy jobs are located all across the state, in fact 40% of clean energy jobs are located in Greater Minnesota. The St. Cloud metro area has the largest concentration of jobs outside of the Twin Cities metro area.
- Clean energy jobs now employ more Minnesotans than the following sectors: education (that includes teachers and all education-related services), banking and credit unions and the medical-technology sectors! Clean energy is proving that it’s here to stay and it employs a solid 2% of the state’s workforce.
The outlook for the future is bright! Clean energy businesses project 7.3% growth in the next year, which equals additional hiring of more than 4,200 workers. In the words of All Energy Solar at our report rollout press conference, “If you’re looking for a career that pays well right out of school and a job market that shows no signs of letting up — train to be an electrician and apply for a clean energy installing job like solar!”
Dig into the Clean Jobs Midwest Report and compare states by visiting the Clean Jobs Midwest home page. Or dive into the data and see how many jobs your hometown has, view interactive job maps here.