The U.S. energy sector workforce grew by 300,000 jobs last year, with clean energy jobs swelling to make up 40% of employment in the sector, according to a DOE report issued earlier this week. The 3.9% increase in employment in clean energy jobs bested the economy overall, which grew by 3.1% over the same period. Jobs in the electric vehicle battery sector increased by 28,000, a 27% increase over the previous year, the fastest growth of any energy technology.
The solar industry gained 12,000 workers (3.7%), onshore wind gained 5,000 workers (4.4%), and the energy efficiency sector added 50,000 workers (2.3%) in 2022 with expectations for far greater expansion in the coming year. “The clean energy transition is accelerating, with job growth across every pocket of America,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. Bob Keefe, head of the nonpartisan business group E2 was even more succinct. “We’re only getting started,” he said in a statement. (Utility Dive, HuffPost, Reuters, The Hill, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WV Public Broadcasting)