New York’s Rapidly Growing Clean Energy Economy Employed Nearly 159,000 Workers in 2018
NEW YORK — The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced that New York’s rapidly growing clean energy economy employed nearly 159,000 workers in 2018, according to the state’s 2019 Clean Energy Industry Report. Since 2016, New York’s clean energy economy saw 8.9% employment growth, more than double the growth of the state’s overall economy. Today’s announcement supports Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, the clean energy and jobs agenda putting New York on a path to a carbon-neutral economy.
“Under Governor Cuomo, New York has staked out a clear global leadership position in advancing a plan to combat climate change and advance clean energy, and this report demonstrates that those efforts are already paying off,” said Alicia Barton, president and CEO, NYSERDA. “The clean energy industry is adding high-quality jobs at more than twice the rate of the overall economy, and New York is quickly beginning to outpace the rest of the country in becoming a global hub for clean technology businesses. By continuing to invest in New York’s clean energy businesses and workers, the governor is providing exactly the kind of leadership we need today to build the thriving clean energy economy of tomorrow.”
The 2019 New York Clean Energy Industry Report compares data on clean energy jobs, geographic distribution, and employee needs, revealing important patterns and trends to inform policy recommendations on how to meet New York’s clean energy and climate goals, help create jobs, and drive economic opportunity across the state. The report demonstrates that as a result of the state’s nation-leading energy policies, New York’s clean energy economy continues to drive economic development and employment growth and opportunities. Since 2016, New York’s clean energy economy saw 8.9% employment growth — stronger growth than the state’s overall economy, which grew 3.4% — adding more than 7,000 clean energy jobs across the state in 2018.
Key findings from this year’s report include:
More than 80% of employers who hired clean energy workers in the past year expressed difficulty in hiring in order to keep pace with the industry’s growing job demands. To address the challenges employers are facing in hiring skilled workers with the proper experience and industry-specific knowledge, Gov. Cuomo announced in March the launch of New York’s $175 million Workforce Development Initiative (WDI) to address the needs of rapidly expanding industries including clean energy and advanced technologies. WDI builds on $27.5 million in incentives NYSERDA made available last year to assist clean energy businesses with recruiting and training new employees, upskilling existing workers, and establishing a talent pipeline to reduce businesses cost of attracting and hiring new workers.
NYSERDA’s existing workforce development and training opportunities are already showing signs of success: