On Tuesday, the US Department of Energy (DOE) released the 2022 US Energy and Employment Report (USEER), which tracks employment trends in the energy sector and for specific energy technologies. The report shows a 4% increase in jobs in the energy sector between 2020 and 2021, outpacing overall US employment rates. Job growth was highest in the manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicles, with a positive rate of 25% (64,500 jobs). And as of 2021, zero-emissions industries (solar, wind, and nuclear) now make up 41% of all jobs in the energy sector.

As employment in the renewable energy sector grew in 2021, despite the increase in fossil fuel production, petroleum and coal jobs declined by 6 and 12%, respectively. According to the report, clean energy is outpacing fossil fuels on almost every level. Texas recently ranked as the top wind-producing state in the country, and alongside California and Michigan, is among the three states with the highest energy job growth rates in the country, thousands of which have been created by the low- and- zero-emission vehicle industry.

The next step in keeping with the upward trend of clean energy jobs will be passing legislation on clean energy tax credits that will “...turbo-charge this progress and create millions more good-paying, high-quality jobs,” says Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.