Between 2010 and 2011, the percent of construction employees working in green construction and services jumped from 7.0 to 8.9 percent, according to data recently released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A nearly 2 percent jump in construction workers in green goods and services is a significant increase in just a single year considering the number of construction employees overall dropped by about 15,000. Some of this increase likely trickled down from the $90 billion President Obama invested in renewable energy and green jobs following a few initiatives started by the Bush Administration.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in green construction have continued growing and the organization highlights the importance of marketable skills for those in the building industry. The data collection for state-by-state employees working in green construction has since been discontinued by the Bureau, meaning the most recent data published will unfortunately be the last. Optimism for a continued rise in green construction stems from other sources such as the USGBC’s reported rise in the number of LEED Credentialed Professionals, demand for certified professionals, and green building projects nationwide. State programs, like Green Jobs Green New York, continue to fund training for construction professionals to perform energy audits and weatherize homes.
As of the 2011 data released last year, California led the country with the highest number of green construction employees at 54,070. This is spike from 37,180 in 2010 and a jump from 6.7 percent to 9.7 percent of all construction jobs falling under the green goods and services umbrella. Unsurprisingly considering the flourishing residential construction industry in the state, Texas had the second highest number of green construction employees with 46,599. The Lone Star also experienced a percent jump from 7.1 to 8.1 percent of construction employees working in green construction form 2010 to 2011. Check out the interactive map below for the numbers of green construction employees by state from the last data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
