Green-Collar Jobs

By Alessia Leibert
September 2011

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Early results from a two-year DEED study indicate green jobs typically require more advanced skills than jobs in the overall economy, and they pay better.

The growth of the green economy in Minnesota has increased interest in work opportunities and careers in that sector. What skills are needed to fill green jobs and how strong is hiring demand? With the help of a federal grant, the Labor Market Information Office within DEED launched a survey in December 2009 to find answers to those and other questions.

Researchers used the agency’s Job Vacancy Survey and follow-up telephone surveys and secondary research to study green jobs in the state. Although a final report isn’t expected to be completed until later this fall, this article outlines some of the early findings of the two-year study.

Got Green Credentials?

Green jobs can be hard to identify because only part of their activities might be green-related. An architect, for example, might work on a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) sustainable building project today and on a traditional construction project tomorrow.

While the study found green job vacancies in many occupations, more opportunities existed for jobs requiring a college education than for openings requiring a high school education. As illustrated in Figure 1, the highest concentration of jobs was found in architecture and engineering (16 percent), where three-fourth of the positions required a bachelor’s degree.

Figure 1: Green Vacancies by Occupational Geoup

About 70 percent of all green vacancies needed education beyond a high school diploma (see Table 1). This contrasts with jobs in the overall economy, which require a comparable level of education or training for only 41 percent of vacancies.

Table 1
Educational Characteristics of Green Vacancies
Education Categories	Green Vacancies	All Vacancies
H.S./GED degree or less	29%	51%
Vocational degree	23%	9%
Associate degree	6%	6%
Bachelor’s degree	38%	21%
Advanced degree	3%	5%
No response	1%	8%

Based on the survey, 38 percent of the openings for green jobs required a bachelor’s degree and 23 percent required a vocational degree. Green firms pull a lot of their talent from STEM-related programs (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Degrees in engineering (chemical, mechanical, civil, or environmental), chemistry and environmental science, and vocational training in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) repair and maintenance were among the credentials preferred by respondents.

Green jobs in Minnesota also require more experience than nongreen positions. Overall, 57 percent of green vacancies required related experience in a similar career or industry, while only 35 percent of total vacancies did.

Skills and Opportunities

Although skills that are needed for green and nongreen jobs are often identical, green specialties typically require more advanced skills. For example, green jobs may require math skills that are more advanced or complex than the math skills needed in other jobs.

Respondents were asked which of the following skills or clusters of skills were necessary for the position: supervisory experience, project management, mathematics, technology design, information technology, and technical skills. As illustrated in Table 2, the greatest number of green positions required technical skills. Many of these are linked to the use of new technologies that are driving the greening of the economy.

Table 2
Skills	Percent requiring the skill	Example of how the skill is applied in practice
Supervising	20%	Lead, manage, schedule, and assign work for staff and subcontractors
Project Management	21%	Develop and implement land management plans for a small eco-region, convene public conservation partners, assess success of project in meeting conservation objectives
Mathematics	61%	Analyze emissions data for greenhouse gas inventories
Technology Design	12%	Design and test HVAC equipment for facilities or buildings
Technical (operating and monitoring equipment, quality evaluation/testing, troubleshooting, process and product design)	69%	Redesign a manufacturing process to reduce waste; use specialized tools to diagnose and repair wind turbines
Information Technology	3%	Program computers and develop software for HVAC or smart grid systems

Technical and mathematical skills combined were required in 55 percent of all green vacancies, indicating high demand for candidates who can blend the two skill sets.

This suggests that the skills needed to transition into the green economy are to some extent already present in the current workforce, but skills in STEM areas are in higher demand than other skill areas for green jobs.

The most in-demand skill area unrelated to STEM was project management, which was considered important in 21 percent of surveyed positions. Rather than a single skill, project management encompasses budgeting, time management, communication, personnel management, and management of material resources. These skills are important because many green jobs involve both technical and managerial activities.

Green vacancies are not only high-skill jobs but high-quality jobs. For example:

88 percent of the green vacancies were for full-time positions.
82 percent were permanent, nonseasonal positions.

In the last survey round, median wages for full-time green jobs were $10 higher than median wages for full-time vacancies economy-wide.

Green employers are also seeking workers with the following “soft” skills:

Learning: Since green technologies evolve rapidly, employers want lifelong learners who are motivated to acquire and apply new knowledge continuously.
Communication: These skills include collaboration and the ability to develop strong working relationships.
Problem-solving: Creative thinking, technical knowledge, and an understanding of the financial and environmental impact of key decisions are among the skills in this category.
Persuasion: These skills include the ability to influence change, handle conflict, and negotiate solutions.

The survey also asked about the importance of knowledge in the legal, science, mechanical, sales and marketing, and construction fields.

About 45 percent of all estimated green vacancies required mechanical knowledge, which might be expected given the high concentration of jobs in such areas as designing radiant floor heating systems and installing energy efficient windows. The next most common knowledge area (27 percent) was science.

Other specialties that will give candidates a competitive advantage in the green jobs market are knowledge of energy efficiency, waste management, pollution monitoring and control, environmental policies, natural resources conservation and management, lean production and operation systems, commercialization of green products, computer modeling programs and tools, and spatial analysis and management of geospatial data.

The green economy is not yet well-enough defined to lead to industry-recognized credentials, including licensing or certification exams. There are two exceptions, however. LEED certification demonstrates expertise in green building techniques, while the CEM (certified energy manager) credential establishes professional competence in energy accounting, lighting and electrical systems, thermal energy, HVAC systems and other areas related to energy management.

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