Now Hiring: Green-Collar Workers
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 is a stimulus package that includes money for solar farms, wind turbines, electrical grid updates, mass transit, and the weatherizing and retrofitting of buildings. Besides its environmental benefits, the spending is expected to produce much needed jobs-about 1 million to 1.5 million of them, according to estimates by some environmental groups.
The clean energy economy accounted for about 770,000 jobs in 2007, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. But job boards might soon be populated with openings for environmental engineers, construction managers, hydrologists, architects, and interior designers with green building training, as well as for directors of environmentally focused nonprofit groups.
Not all of these jobs will pay top salaries. Many of the new green-collar jobs will be taken by blue-collar construction workers. BusinessWeek teamed up with PayScale.com to determine the highest-paid green jobs. Wind turbine technicians, who earn a median pay of $53,600, ranked 12th on our list of 21 jobs. Environmental engineering managers, who typically earn $103,200, topped the list.
You won't necessarily need a science degree to land a green job. Environmental companies will need secretaries, administrators, and public relations specialists. And construction companies will need workers to install energy-efficient boilers, windows, and insulation.
"We project that about a million jobs will come out of the stimulus investment," says Phil Angelides, chairman of the San Francisco-based Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor, business, and environmental groups that advocates for clean energy.
The Obama Administration is looking to health care and green jobs to help drive the job recovery. According to the Pew study, green jobs grew by 9.1% from 1998 to 2007, nearly two and a half times faster than the overall job market. And the growth will likely accelerate because of growing consumer demand, venture capital infusions, and government reforms, the report concluded.
In a July 15 column in The Seattle Times, Van Jones, special advisor for green jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, identified some green projects getting stimulus funding, starting with a $5 billion investment to make America's homes more energy-efficient. Among the other projects: $44 million to extend light rail from Seattle's downtown to the University of Washington, energy-efficient renovations to four public housing high-rises in Minneapolis, and hundreds of millions of dollars of investments in clean energy generation and conservation at veterans hospitals.
- Environmental Engineering Manager Median annual pay: $103,200 Job description: Oversees a team of environmental engineers and develops projects involving land conservation, and water and air quality Typical qualification: Engineering Bachelor's of Science
- Sustainability Director Median annual pay: $103,000 Job description: Responsible for developing and implementing environmentally-friendly energy management program for a university, government, or business. The sustainability director works to conserve energy, encourage recycling, and manages other green initiatives within the organization to save money and reduce consumption. Typical qualification: Master's degree
- Project Manager, Construction - LEED AP Median annual pay: $81,700 Job description: Oversees a construction project and has had training in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building practices Typical qualification: General Bachelor's degree
- Program Manager, Environmental Consulting Median annual pay: $80,400 Job description: Manages projects that an environmental consulting firm undertakes for government or a corporation Typical qualification: General Bachelor's degree
- HVAC Mechanical Engineer - LEED AP Median annual pay: $68,100 Job description: Specializes in designing heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems and is trained in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building practices Typical qualification: Engineering Bachelor's of Science
Source: Business Week, Prashant Gopal, 7/23/09
