DOE releases first annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report

The U.S. Department of Energy released its first annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) on Thursday.

The report is an analysis of the energy sector and its impact on the energy industry regarding employment.

USEER provides one of the first comprehensive looks at energy employment in the U.S. The report analyzes industry trends and predicts how these trends will impact the demand for skilled energy workers. It looks at four energy sectors – electric power generation and fuels; energy efficiency; motor vehicles; and transmission, wholesale distribution and storage.

The report predicts layoffs within the oil and natural gas extraction sectors, while most others sectors will continue to see growth. USEER projected five percent job growth within the electric power generation and fuels sector; four percent employment growth within the transmission, wholesale distribution and storage sector; and 15 percent job growth for solar energy firms.

“The transformation of our energy system and the growth of energy efficiency technologies are creating opportunities for thousands of new jobs, especially in energy efficiency and solar,” David Foster, DOE senior advisor on energy and industrial policy, said. “This report gives an important snapshot of energy employment in America, and subsequent reports will provide better information to guide policies and priorities that create new jobs, appropriately train workers, and promote a successful national energy policy.”

USEER predicts approximately 600,000 energy workers will contribute to the production of renewable and clean energy.

A copy of the full report is available here.