Bureau of Labor Statistics Green Jobs Initiative
Dixie SommersBureau of Labor Statistics
Association of Public Data Users 2010 Annual Conference
September 20, 2010
BLS green jobs initiative
Goals are to provide information on: Number of green jobs and trends over
time Industrial, occupational, and
geographic distribution of these jobs What these jobs pay
Work began in FY 2010
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Defining green jobs
Definition should be objective and measurable
Use standard classifications to provide comparability to other data
– North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
– Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
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Defining green jobs
BLS background work Reviewed the literature
– No widely accepted definition
Examined international work– Statistics Canada, Eurostat
Consulted with stakeholders– Federal agencies, industry associations, States
Green Jobs Study Group– http://www.workforceinfocouncil.org/GreenJobs.asp
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Defining green jobs
Solicited public comment March 16, 2010, Federal Register
Notice Further consultation with Federal
agencies during the comment period Final definition and summary of
comments Published in the Federal Register
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Two approaches to definition and measurement Output approach
– Identify establishments producing green goods and services
– Count the associated jobs
Process approach– Identify establishments using
environmentally-friendly production processes
– Count the associated jobs6
Defining green jobs
BLS green jobs definition
Green jobs are either: A. Jobs in businesses that produce
goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources.
B. Jobs in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.
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1. Energy from renewable sources2. Energy efficient equipment,
appliances, buildings and vehicles, and goods and services that improve the energy efficiency of buildings and the efficiency of energy storage and distribution
3. Pollution mitigation; greenhouse gas reduction; and recycling and reuse goods and services
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Categories of green goods and services
4. Organic agriculture; sustainable forestry; and soil, water and wildlife conservation
5. Governmental and regulatory administration; and education, training, and advocacy goods and services
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Categories of green goods and services
Types of green production processes
1. Generating energy from renewable sources for use within the establishment
2. Improving energy efficiency
3. Reducing or removing pollution or greenhouse gases, and recycling or reusing waste materials or wastewater
4. Conserving natural resources
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Based on products or services produced, or duties performed
Does not consider other job aspects Not considering wages, union
membership, worker safety, benefits, career ladders, or similar factors
Users can apply other data
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About the BLS green jobs definition
Not based on whether workers in green jobs need different skills than those in non-green jobs O*NET and other types of data
address this need
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About the BLS green jobs definition
Do not have sufficient information and expertise to use a “net impact on the environment” concept to classify goods and services as green or not green
Will need to update as the set of green goods and services evolves over time (e.g., hybrids may become the norm).
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About the BLS green jobs definition
Identifying green goods and services
Generally designated as green only goods and services that directly benefit the environment Does not automatically include inputs or
distribution of outputs, but evaluates these for direct environmental benefit
Identified 333 detailed NAICS industries where green goods and services are classified. See www.bls.gov/green
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Identifying green goods and services
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Industry sector
Number of establishments,
2009Percent
distributionConstruction 820,700 38.1%
Professional and business services 779,100 36.2%
Other services (Repair and maintenance services, Professional organizations)
183,300 8.5%
Natural resources and mining 88,700 4.1%
Information 77,000 3.6%
Manufacturing 77,700 3.6%
Trade, transportation, and utilities 49,300 2.3%
Public administration 42,100 2.0%
Education and health services 26,400 1.2%
All other sectors 10,400 0.5%
Total 2,154,700 100.0%
Measuring green goods and services jobs
Green Goods and Services (GGS) survey Sample establishments in industries where
green goods and services are classified Present to respondents a description of
green products or services classified in their industry
Request share of revenue accounted for by sale of green goods and services
Use share of revenue as proxy for share of employment
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Measuring green goods and services jobs
Publication goal and example For all NAICS codes where green products
and services found, publish one or more categories of green employment.
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NAICS Industry Employment
221119 Other electric power generation xx,xxx
- Solar power generation x,xxx
- Wind power generation x,xxx
-Geothermal power generation x,xxx
-Other renewable power generation x,xxx
236118 Residential remodelers xxx,xxx
- Green residential remodelers xx,xxx
Measuring green goods and services jobs
Green Goods and Services (GGS) survey Survey instrument development and
field testing underway Sample design underway Survey collection during FY2011 Results in FY2012
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Measuring green goods and services jobs
Collection research and test strategy Phase 1: Cognitive calls
Basic data availability Response environment
Phase 2: Four panels of survey forms mail-out Collectability Question clarity Forms design Methodology Costs, workload, timing
Each panel includes follow-up cognitive calls requesting feedback on the survey forms
Measuring green goods and services jobs
Field testing results so far Revenue is collectable Environmental or “green” standards
seem to be used and understood by respondents
Need to clarify and refine phrasing and layout of questions and instructions
Forms may vary by sector and within a sector, but unique forms for each 6-digit NAICS will not be needed
Measuring green goods and services jobs
Administer the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey to establishments in the industry survey sample Obtain occupational staffing patterns
and wages Overlap of green goods and services
survey sample with regular OES sample Expand OES sample as needed
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Measuring green goods and services jobs
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey Expect to fund States to collect the
additional units Earliest collection will be the May
2011 panel
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Measuring green production process jobs
Special employer survey to measure jobs related to environmentally-friendly production processes Does the establishment use green
practices or technologies? If yes, does it employ any workers
whose duties relate to these practices or technologies?
If yes, collect information on number of workers and their wages, by occupation
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Measuring green production process jobs
Businesses in any industry may use green practices and technologies Produce energy from renewable
sources for use within the establishment
– Example: retail store generates solar power Use of practices and technologies that
benefit the environment or conserve natural resources
– Example: redesigning product packaging to reduce use of plastics
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Measuring green production process jobs
Process approachdata collection Initial development underway; field
testing starting fall 2010 Public comment on approach and
OMB Clearance Survey collection during FY2011 Results in FY2012
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Career information
New career information products Careers in the wind energy industry,
published on the web in September 2010
– www.bls.gov/green
Additional products planned for FY2011 and later
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