2018 U.S. Energy
and Employment Report

The 2018 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) finds that the Traditional Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors today employ approximately 6.5 million Americans. These sectors increased in 2017 by about 1 percent, adding 65,000 net new jobs, roughly 3% of all those created in the country.

Report Overview

The USEER examines four sectors of the economy – “Electric Power Generation and Fuels”, “Transmission, Distribution, and Storage”, “Energy Efficiency”, and “Motor Vehicles”. The first two of these sectors, Electric Power Generation and Fuels and Transmission, Distribution, and Storage make up what are generally considered the “Traditional Energy” sectors. Energy Efficiency cuts across a range of occupations, especially construction and professional services, but includes manufacturing as well. The Motor Vehicles industry is included because its products play a special role in modern society’s use of energy with transportation representing 71 percent of the country’s daily domestic oil consumption and 28 percent of overall energy usage.

Major Trends

1. The growth of jobs in Energy Efficiency and the growth of the intensity of this work in the construction sector.

Over 80% of construction firms in Energy Efficiency now report that the majority of their employees’ time is spent on EE technologies.

2. Net growth year over year of electrical generation in natural gas, wind, and solar.

As a result, all three of these sectors have continued to provide more jobs. In 2017 solar declined for the first time since its wide-scale deployment began a decade ago, but that decline was concentrated in just a few states.

3. The difficulty THAT employers are having filling jobs in those GROWING energy sectors.

Over 70% of employers reported difficulty in hiring across a wide range of occupations. 

Transmission, Distribution, and Storage

Over 2.4 million Americans are employed in Transmission, Distribution and Storage with just over 1 million working in retail trade (gasoline stations and fuel dealers) and another 869,000 working across utilities and construction. This represents a net increase of 51,000 jobs.

16,000 Net New Jobs

Excluding the retail trade sector, Transmission, Wholesale Trade, Distribution and Storage firms —our country’s energy infrastructure—added a net 16,000 jobs.

Modernization a Factor

38% of respondent employers working in this sector reported that a majority of their revenues come from grid modernization or other utility-funded modernization projects, an increase of 6.5 percentage points over 2016.

Energy Efficiency 

2.25 million Americans work in Energy Efficiency, in whole or in part, in the design, installation, and manufacture of Energy Efficiency products and services. 

MANUFACTURIng JOBS ADDED

Manufacturing jobs, producing Energy Star® certified products and energy efficient building materials in the United States, increased by 27,000 jobs 

2X NATIONAL AVERAGE

Energy Efficiency added the most employees of any of the major sectors that we surveyed for the 2018 USEER, adding 67,000 net new jobs in 2017, a 3% growth rate and twice the national average.

Motor Vehicles and Component Parts

The industry employs over 2.46 million workers, excluding auto dealerships, adding 29,000 jobs in 2017. Almost 220,000 employees work with alternative fuels vehicles, including natural gas, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, all electric, and fuel cell/hydrogen vehicles, a decline of almost 40,000 jobs in 2017.

WORKFORCE NUMBERS

476,000 employees of Motor Vehicles Parts companies are now contributing to more fuel efficient vehicles, a slight decline from 2016.

FUEL ECONOMY PRODUCTS

Almost one quarter (23%) of all firms involved in Motor Vehicle component parts derive all of their revenue from products that increase fuel economy for Motor Vehicles, a significant increase.