The Future of Green
Read the summary below or download the entire Chapter 10 from the printed report.
Over the study period, October 2009 to June 2011, green vacancies grew an average of 30 percent, compared to 31 percent for all vacancies. Fifty-four percent of green vacancies were newly created positions rather than replacement openings, an indicator of the emerging nature of the green economy. In contrast, only 28 percent of future projected openings in Minnesota from 2009 to 2019 will be newly created positions resulting from economic expansion.
Following is a discussion of the growth potential in Minnesota for each green sector based on employer responses to interview questions, in depth interviews and secondary research.
Energy and Resource Efficiency
This sector is the most promising in terms of job creation. Investments in energy efficiency save money over the long term. As consumers become more educated about the benefits of energy efficiency, either through marketing efforts of companies or other sources, demand will continue to increase.
Because the pool of existing houses and facilities needing insulation and other energy-efficiency upgrades is large -- and retrofitting work is labor intensive and often locally sourced -- there is strong potential for sustained job growth, even while construction of new homes remains depressed. Moreover, building energy codes in Minnesota are relatively more stringent than those in other states.
Recycling and Pollution Prevention
The shift in emphasis from end-of-pipe treatment methods to prevention of environmental problems, as well as increasing raw material costs, are likely to increase demand for workers in this sector. LEAN production methods is another potential source of job growth. Finally, the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances has growth potential in Minnesota.
Natural Resource Conservation
Growth in this sector will be driven primarily by deepened public awareness of the connections between human and ecosystem health. This will lead to job growth in conservation planning, land and forestry management, spatial inventory and the monitoring of natural resources.
Environmental Compliance
As national and global environmental challenges become more complex, new regulations may be introduced, prompting companies that compete nationally and internationally to integrate localized regulatory regimes.
At the same time, market-based approaches that reward higher performance and penalize pollution and waste will grow, creating a need for centralized business functions dedicated to sustainability planning, corporate social responsibility reporting, and green supply-chain operations.
Renewable Energy
Regulatory and policy framework will continue to play an important role in the future development of this sector.
Minnesota’s stringent renewable energy standard continues to push the state toward wind and other renewable sources of electricity. However, the intricacy of the permitting process for the installation of wind farms has not facilitated growth in this sector. Moreover, further infrastructure and technology development is necessary to make electricity from renewable sources price-competitive.
Pollution Control
Rather than net job growth, this sector is likely to experience an increase in workforce skills (and inevitably wages) as remediation work becomes more challenging and licensing and certification requirements become stricter.
New environmental regulations, especially greenhouse gas emissions policies, could create demand for experts to oversee pollution monitoring programs and install pollution monitoring equipment.
Cleanup and remediation work, in turn, can stimulate demand for specialized products and technologies for detecting, controlling, and testing pollution in water, air, and soil. Since some of these products are already manufactured locally, new employment opportunities in manufacturing could arise as the sector expands.
Water Treatment and Conservation
Minnesota appears to lag behind in this green activity area, making future growth likely. Some workforce shortages are expected in wastewater treatment operations and facility engineering design as both the workforce and the infrastructures are aging.
Further, any land use activity must now take into consideration water resources both above and below the surface. The implementation of best practices can employ, among others, engineers, project managers, and land surveying professionals.
A Final Point
A discussion of growth in the green economy cannot be complete without acknowledging the dynamic and diffuse nature of the sector. The greening of the world of work is unfolding quietly but steadily.