Defining Green Jobs Initiative: A Comprehensive Overview

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics Green Jobs Initiative Pat Getz, Assistant Commissioner Dixie Sommers, Assistant Commissioner March 17, 2010

2. Presenters Presenters: • Dixie Sommers Assistant Commissioner Bureau of Labor Statistics • Pat Getz Assistant Commissioner Bureau of Labor Statistics Moderator: • Anthony D. Dais Employment and Training Administration

3. SAMPLE Audience Polling Question To better focus today’s presentation on Defining Green Jobs, Occupations, Industries, and Businesses, please identify yourself by selecting one of the several categories below. (Please check all that apply.) • US DOL Green Jobs grant award winner • State Workforce Agency Administrator • LMI Director or staff • Training Provider • Community College Representative • Instructional Designer • Community Based Organization Representative • Other (Please specify in the chat) –

4. Presenter Dixie Sommers Assistant Commissioner Bureau of Labor Statistics

5. BLS Green Jobs Initiative • FY 2010 appropriations • $7.8 million for BLS to develop new green jobs data • 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

6. Defining green jobs • No widely accepted definition available • Definition should be objective and empirically measurable • Use standard classifications to provide comparability to other data • North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) • Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)

7. Defining green jobs • BLS reviewed the literature • To understand issues such as renewable energy, energy conservation, and greenhouse gas abatement • To examine definitions and measurement approaches developed by others • O*NET green jobs study • State surveys and studies • Studies by other private and public organizations

8. Defining green jobs • BLS consulted with stakeholders • To gain better understanding of green economic activities and production processes from experts • State LMI offices: Green Jobs Study Group • Federal agencies: Commerce, Energy, EPA, ETA, and others • Industry associations

9. Defining green jobs • BLS definition is based on economic activity • Does not consider job aspects unrelated to the work (e.g., wages, union membership, benefits, benefits, career ladders) • Will collect wage data • Users may supplement with other data • Present results so users may choose industries needed for their purposes

10. Presenter Pat Getz Assistant Commissioner Bureau of Labor Statistics

11. Defining green jobs • BLS has adopted two approaches • 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 jobs

12. Defining green jobs Broadly defined, green jobs are jobs involved in economic activities that help protect or restore the environment or conserve natural resources. Categories of green economic activity

13. Defining green jobs Green economic activities result in production of green goods and services BLS defined four types of green goods and services

14. Defining green jobs • 1. Direct green goods and services • A good or service produced specifically for an environmental protection or natural resource conservation purpose. • Examples: • Pollution control equipment • Weatherizing buildings

15. Defining green jobs • 2. Indirect green goods and services: • Not direct green goods or services • When produced, consumed, or scrapped, better for environment or conservation than other goods used for same purpose • Among the goods included are • Goods containing recycled inputs (at the production stage where such inputs introduced) • Remanufactured goods • Organic agricultural products and processed foods

16. Defining green jobs • Standards for green-ness • To identify indirect goods that are “more energy efficient”, “ less polluting” etc, a goal is objective standards • BLS exploring use of federal and other standards • Including USDA certified organic, Energy Star appliances, LEEDS certification in construction

17. Defining green jobs • Examples of indirect green goods and services • Electricity produced from renewable sources • Hybrid vehicles • Mercury-free batteries • Recycled steel (but not handtools made from recycled steel) • Retreaded tires • Organic produce and canned organic vegetables

18. Defining green jobs • 3. Specialized inputs to production of a direct or indirect green good or service • Examples • Wind turbine blades • Mass transit rail cars

19. Defining green jobs • 4. Distribution of green goods • Services that specialize in distribution of green goods, including services in • Transportation and warehousing services • Wholesale and retail trade • Rental and leasing services • Restaurants and food services • Examples • Trucking services • Grocery stores • Restaurants

20. Measuring Green Jobs: output approach • BLS identified industries where green goods and services are classified • List of detailed NAICS industries • Data collection • Green goods and services industry survey • Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey expansion

21. Presenter Dixie Sommers Assistant Commissioner Bureau of Labor Statistics

22. Measuring Green Jobs : output approach • Green goods and services industry 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

23. Basic Publication Goal • For all NAICS codes where green activity is found, publish one or more categories of green employment; example: • NAICS 221119 Other Electric Power Generation employment, may sub-divide into: • Solar power • Wind power • Geothermal power • Other renewable power

24. Measuring Green Jobs : output approach • Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey • Obtain occupational staffing patterns and wages of establishments in the industry survey sample • Overlap of industry sample with regular Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) sample • Expand OES sample as needed

25. Measuring Green Jobs: process approach • Green economic activities may result in changes to production processes for any type of good or service • Production of green goods and services for use within the establishment • Example: solar power used in a retail store • Use of production methods that have positive impact on environment or natural resources conservation • Example: redesigning product packaging to reduce use of plastics

26. Measuring Green Jobs: process approach • Special employer survey to measuring jobs related to environmentally- friendly production processes • Does the establishment use environmentally-friendly production processes? • If yes, does it employ any workers whose primary duties relate to those processes? • If yes, collect information on number of workers and their wages, by occupation

27. What’s next? • Federal Register Notice soliciting public comment on green jobs definition • Access at www.bls.gov/green • Comment period closes April 30, 2010 • Output approach surveys • Industry survey field testing, spring 2010 • Sample design work underway • Process approach survey • Initial development underway

28. When to expect results • Output approach • Survey collection during FY2011 • Results in FY2012 • Process approach • Survey in collection during FY2011 • Results in FY2012 • Career information • Initial product by end of FY2010

29. Standards for surveys BLS and other Federal statistical agencies work under Office of Management and Budget guidelines and standards. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg_statpolicy/

30. Contact Information Pat Getz, Assistant Commissioner 202-691-6521Getz.Pat@bls.gov Dixie Sommers, Assistant Commissioner 202-691-5701Sommers.Dixie@bls.gov

31. http://greenjobs.workforce3one.org/

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