Report Shows 13 Percent U.S. Solar Industry Job Growth

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This article is posted with permission fromThe Solar Foundation.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Solar Foundation (TSF), an independent nonprofit solar education and research organization, announced on Nov. 2, 2012, that its third annual National Solar Jobs Census found that the U.S. solar industry employs 119,016 Americans, a figure which represents the addition of 13,872 workers and a 13.2 percent employment growth rate over the previous year. Based on 2012 data collection, TSF also revised the 2011 total jobs number from 100,237 to 105,145.

“The solar industry has grown at significantly higher rates than most other industries in the past several years, making it one of the foremost creators of new jobs in the United States,” said Andrea Luecke, TSF Executive Director. “Our census findings indicate that these new jobs are highly skilled in nature, including solar installation, sales, marketing and software development. These new solar industry jobs are sustainable, cannot be outsourced and play a critical role in our country’s economic recovery.”

The National Solar Jobs Census 2012measured employment growth in the solar industry between September 2011 and September 2012. During the same period, employment in the overall economy grew at a rate of 2.3 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), while the Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) calculated that the fossil fuel electric generation industry shed 3,857 jobs or 3.77 percent of its workforce. Nearly one third of employers who responded to the survey cited the continued decline in component prices as the primary driver of employment growth. State legislation enacting Renewable Portfolio Standards or authorizing third-party system ownership and federal tax incentives were other leading drivers of growth.

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