ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s environment and sustainability initiatives are creating new green jobs and additional demand for existing occupations and changing the skills required to fulfill others. In total, these positions made up more than 17 percent of all jobs in the state pre-pandemic. That’s according to a new report that New York State […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s environment and sustainability initiatives are creating new green jobs and additional demand for existing occupations and changing the skills required to fulfill others.
In total, these positions made up more than 17 percent of all jobs in the state pre-pandemic.
That’s according to a new report that New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released Feb. 23. It’s titled “Green and Growing: Employment Opportunities in New York’s Sustainable Economy.”
In it, DiNapoli urged the state to fund more educational and workforce-development programs to grow the green economy and help bolster New York’s pandemic recovery.
The comptroller’s report found that the number of jobs influenced by the green economy in New York exceeded 1 million in 2019 and 2020. The state’s efforts to promote sustainability not only encourage the creation of new jobs related to clean energy and energy efficiency, but they can also affect employment “more broadly,” requiring new skills in existing occupations and increasing demand for others, DiNapoli’s office contended. Those efforts include the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and the Reforming the Energy Vision.
Report findings
Based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment and Wages Statistics reports and the Occupational Information Network definitions of green jobs, DiNapoli’s report made the following findings.
Of the 1.7 million green jobs in New York in 2019 (17.3 percent of New York’s employment), almost 85 percent were in existing occupations facing either increased demand (37.5 percent) or the need for new or updated skills (46.8 percent). Examples include electricians, carpenters, mechanics, and software developers, operations managers, maintenance and repair, and construction laborers, DiNapoli’s office said.
New and emerging jobs — which include those in the solar industry, recycling, water, and energy — comprised 15.7 percent of all green jobs in the state, up from 9.7 percent in 2015.
Between 2015 and 2019, green jobs grew 13.2 percent, more than twice the rate of total job growth in New York (6 percent). The number of jobs in new and emerging occupations jumped 82.5 percent during this time.
Green jobs constitute a smaller share of state employment in New York than the national average (18.8 percent), and the state trails neighboring states such as Pennsylvania (20.9 percent) and New Jersey (18.5 percent), as well as the large states of Illinois (21.4 percent) and California (18.2 percent).
The number of green jobs in New York declined 31.9 percent in 2020, “more sharply” than total employment, largely because of the economic disruption caused by the pandemic.
Most programs to implement the CLCPA are still in the design stage but achieving the goals of the act will require significant changes in homes, businesses, transport, and infrastructure that will shape economic activity and jobs.
To further support workers, the current state budget established prevailing wage, project-labor agreement, and minority and women-owned business requirements for certain projects, DiNapoli’s office said.
DiNapoli recommended that policymakers ensure opportunities are available for New Yorkers seeking to upgrade their skills or take on new career paths, as well as identify actions to increase workforce training and educational measures.
“As New York State moves towards a cleaner and greener economy, it is essential that the state help address business’ need for innovative and skilled employees,” Heather Briccetti, president & CEO of the Business Council of New York State, said. “We agree with Comptroller DiNapoli that this is a tremendous opportunity for our education and workforce-development systems to partner with businesses that will build New York’s future.”
In addition, the state should bolster support to businesses to help with the transition to a green economy, including providing access to the resources needed to provide their employees with the training and skill development needed, per the report. DiNapoli called on the New York State Department of Labor to include green jobs in its “Future of Work” occupational outlook and toolkit.