Bureau of Labor Statistics Green Jobs Initiative

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics Green Jobs Initiative Construction Economics Research Network October 28,2010 Rick Clayton Chief, Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover Bureau of Labor Statistics

2. 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 • Career information on green jobs • Work began in FY 2010

3. 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)

4. Defining green jobs • BLS background work • Reviewed the literature • No widely accepted definition • Examined international work • Statistics Canada, Eurostat • Consulted with stakeholders • Federal agencies, CEQ, industry associations, States • Green Jobs Study Group • http://www.workforceinfocouncil.org/GreenJobs.asp

5. 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 • September 21, 2010, Federal Register Notice

6. BLS green jobs definition Green jobs are either: A.Output: Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. B. Process:Jobs in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.

7. Categories of green goods and services • Energy from renewable sources • 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 • Pollution mitigation; greenhouse gas reduction; and recycling and reuse goods and services

8. Categories of green goods and services • Organic agriculture; sustainable forestry; and soil, water and wildlife conservation • Governmental and regulatory administration; and education, training, and advocacy goods and services

9. Types of green production processes • Generating energy from renewable sources for use within the establishment • Improving energy efficiency • Reducing or removing pollution or greenhouse gases, and recycling or reusing waste materials or wastewater • Conserving natural resources

10. 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

11. Identifying green goods and services(for selected industries only)

12. Examples of Industries with green content • Organic corn production (anything organic) • Logging (wood chips for biomass) • Electric power production from wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric sources, etc. • Nuclear power production • Sewage treatment facilities • Construction of renewable energy plants or nuclear plants • Construction using LEEDS or Green Globes • Installation of products eligible for use in LEEDS, EnergyStar, or Green Globe certified buildings • Weatherization or retrofitting of existing buildings • Installation of pollution control devices • Deconstructing existing structures and salvaging parts for reuse • Construction of storm water management structures and systems • Manuf. of Energy Star appliances, computers, etc • Aluminum smelting - reintroducing recycled cans

13. Identifying green goods and services • Using well-established, well-recognized “standards” for consistency • 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).

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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 • Targeting 120,000 units • Results in FY2012 • Ongoing annual survey, quarterly updates

17. 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

18. GGS: Industry data timetable • OMB clearance Nov – March • Contractor obtained Nov – Feb • Mailout March • Collection April -….. • Tabulation/publication NLT March 2012 • Quarterly updates based on QCEW

19. Measuring green production process jobs • Process approach data collection • Initial development underway • Field testing started fall 2010 • Public comment on approach and OMB clearance • Survey collection during FY2011 • Results in FY2012 • May be replicated over time

20. Career information • New career information products • Careers in the wind energy industry, published on the web in September 2010 • http://www.bls.gov/green/wind_energy/home.htm • Additional products planned for FY2011 and later

21. BLS Green Products • GGS: industry employment • OES: occupational staffing patterns • Process survey • Occupational career information on selected green occupations

22. Rick Claytonclayton.rick@bls.gov