The Greening of Oregon’s Workforce. Jobs, Wages, and Training

We defined “Green Job”… In Oregon, a green job is one that provides a service or produces a product in any of the following categories: 1.Increasing energy efficiency 2.Producing renewable energy 3.Preventing, reducing, or mitigating environmental degradation 4.Cleaning up and restoring the natural environment 5.Providing education, consulting, policy promotion, accreditation, trading and offsets, or similar services supporting any of the other categories Note: we wanted one or more of these things to be an “essential function” of the job.

Key Finding: Oregon has roughly 51,000 green jobs. 51,402 green jobs in 2008, spread across... 5,025 employers all major industry groups 226 different occupations Represents about 3 percent of the employment in the private sector and state and local government To give perspective … this is roughly the same as the number of employees working in Oregon’s private hospitals.

Construction, wholesale and retail trade, and administrative and waste services account for about half of Oregon’s green jobs.

Key Finding: Many green jobs are in blue collar occupations.

Eleven occupations had at least 1,000 green jobs.

You haven’t mentioned solar panel installers or wind turbine technicians! In 2009 there was no standard occupation code for solar panel installers or wind turbine technicians, thus… Solar panel installers Electricians if working with photovoltaic panels Plumbers if installing solar thermal units Otherwise construction laborers or related workers Wind turbine technicians Usually coded as installation, maintenance, and repair workers… But could be electricians or engineers

Green wage levels are spread across a wide spectrum, just like wages of all jobs.

But very few green jobs pay very low wages …

Key Finding: “On average, green jobs tended toward slightly higher wages than jobs across the entire economy.” Average wage for all jobs: $19.92 per hour Average wage for green jobs: $22.61 per hour Half of all jobs pay $15.22 or more per hour About 2/3 of all green jobs pay $15.00 or more per hour Occupation mix explains some of the difference, but not all

Green wage levels depend on the occupation

Key Finding: Two-thirds of green jobs require no education beyond high school.

Education requirements vary widely by occupation.

Key Finding: About one-third of green jobs require some kind of special license / certificate. Some jobs have more than one special requirement.

As is true with the whole economy … jobs requiring more education usually pay higher wages.

Key Finding: Almost two-thirds (32,746) of Oregon’s green jobs meet the state’s criteria for “high wage”.

There are 190 high-wage green occupations. In these, at least half of the green jobs paid $15.00 or more per hour These occupations accounted for 94 percent of the green jobs requiring education beyond high school 23 percent of the jobs in high-wage green occupations required a bachelor’s degree or higher (compared to 2 percent of the jobs in low-wage green occupations)

Key Finding: Employers project a 14% increase in green jobs between 2008 and 2010.

Oregon’s Green LMI Improvement Grant December 2009 – May 2011 (18 months) $1.25 million Provided by national Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Working with many partners Oregon Workforce Investment Board (OWIB) Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (DCCWD) Oregon Career Information System (CIS) Other workforce, education, and training entities

Goals of the Green LMI Improvement Grant To build on Oregon’s initial green jobs survey to get detailed information on green occupations and industries of particular interest To provide direct labor market information with a strong focus on making that information usable for developing training programs and for career planning To invest in system information and infrastructure that will provide long term benefits to Oregon’s workers and employers

The Green LMI Grant has Five Major Components 1.In-depth Study of Green Occupations 2.Employment Analysis of Companies in Specific Green Sectors 3.Analysis of Green Jobs in Agriculture 4.Special Reports and Publications 5.AutoCoder and Green Jobs Extractor for WorkSource Oregon Management Information System (WOMIS) DCCWD & CIS will also complete other major components

In-depth Study of Occupations Developed criteria for selecting occupations to study Build on findings from The Greening of Oregon’s Workforce Focus on occupations with green jobs that require some education beyond high school Focus on occupations where green jobs may have a need for new or additional skills Focus on occupations that are “high-demand” – projected to have at least 254 openings over the next 10 years

In-depth Study of Occupations 1.Compilation of already-known information 2.Gather information through surveys and focus groups 3.Identify skills associated with occupations that have green jobs 4.Analyze the specific skill requirements for green jobs in selected occupations 5.Identify other unique characteristics of an occupation’s green jobs 6.Identify the skill ladders that form green career pathways 7.Conduct WorkKeys assessments on green job tasks in selected occupations

Next Steps for In-Depth Study of Occupations DCCWD – conduct 30 WorkKeys assessments in 10 occupations OED will conduct assessments of the other three Skills will be compiled for green jobs within the selected occupations Skills will be incorporated into iMatchSkills system DCCWD – incorporate occupational information into new statewide green career pathways for five occupations

WorkKeys for Green Jobs 1.Develop a “Final Task List” 2.Identify required skill level for: Applied mathematics Locating information Reading for information Teamwork 3.Identify which tasks, if any, are related to the definition of a green job 4.Identify which tasks, if any, require a higher skill level because of their “greenness”

Example WorkKeys for Green Jobs Solar Photovoltaic Installer All tasks have a green component, mostly related to “producing renewable energy” Plumber 10 out of 25 tasks have a green component, mostly related to “preventing, reducing, or mitigating environmental degradation” Building Inspector 9 out of 19 tasks have a green component, mostly related to “increasing energy efficiency”

Example WorkKeys for Green Jobs Solar Photovoltaic Installer Install photovoltaic systems in accordance with codes and standards… Plumber Ensures work is done to standard by reading and interpreting plumbing codes… Building Inspector Assesses energy efficiency and safety of residential buildings by performing building air leak tests, lead paint evaluation, etc…

Employment Analyses of Companies in Green Sectors Select green sectors for analysis (overlap with recommendations of Green Jobs Council) Identify firms working in each sector Conduct analyses of Unemployment Insurance wage records for those firms Which industries did workers come from? How have workers’ wages and hours changed over time? What are the employment trends of green companies?

Renewable Energy Production & Generation 13 firms that produce renewable energy (electricity) for the “grid” Total employment 2009Q3: 11,040 Private jobs down 1,241 from 2004Q3 to 2009Q3 (-12%) -4% for all firms in the same industries -2% for all private firms Trends dominated by wood & paper product manufacturing 2009Q3 median wage was $30.01 $26.14 for all firms in the same industries $15.25 for all private firms $171 million in total wages

Green Manufacturing 40+ firms that manufacture a “green product” Total employment 2009Q4: 1,921 Jobs up 685 from 2004Q4 to 2009Q4 (55%) -8% for all firms in the same industries -3% for all private firms Jobs concentrated in larger firms (50+ employees) 2009Q4 median wage was $20.87 $22.72 for all firms in the same industries $15.70 for all private firms $32 million in total wages

Energy Efficiency 750 firms involved in weatherization and retrofits Total employment 2009Q4: 12,136 Jobs up 114 from 2004Q4 to 2009Q4 (1%) -3% for all firms in the same industries -3% for all private firms 960 jobs at new firms during the period, while 850 jobs were lost at firms that were open the full 5 years 2009Q4 median wage was $24.65 $16.74 for all firms in the same industries $15.70 for all private firms $168 million in total wages

Energy Transmission 40+ firms & local utilities involved in transmission Total employment 2009Q4: 9,975 Jobs up 166 from 2004Q4 to 2009Q4 (2%) 4% for all firms in the same industries -2% for the whole economy Jobs concentrated in local government 2009Q4 median wage was $38.81 $25.91 for all firms in the same industries $15.70 for all private firms $211 million in total wages

Green Transportation 60+ entities involved in transit, EVs, and batteries Total employment 2009Q4: 12,776 Jobs up 406 from 2004Q4 to 2009Q4 (3%) 6% for all entities in the same industries 9% for private firms in the same industries 95% of jobs in local government 2009Q4 median wage was $26.51 $18.41 for all entities in the same industries $14.09 for private firms in the same industries $154 million in total wages

Green Building and Forest Products 85+ entities involved in design and construction, or in growth and supply Total employment 2009Q4: 1,988 Jobs up 462 from 2004Q4 to 2009Q4 (30%) -9% for private firms in the same industries 2009Q4 median wage was $30.46 $21.40 for private firms in the same industries $44 million in total wages Large losses in 2009 Jobs: -14% Wages: -20%

Other Green Sectors to be Analyzed Environmental Technologies and Services: operation, service and maintenance

Green Jobs in Natural Resources Surveyed 3,000+ employers Surveyed both “covered” and “non-covered” establishments First survey-based estimates in 10 years U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, Oregon Field Office Provided “non-covered” universe Conducted ½ of survey Results combined for a complete picture

122,730 Jobs spread across 5 sectors…

… most of which are seasonal jobs

3 out of every 5 jobs is a “farmworker”

Green Jobs are also seasonal…

… but are more likely to be “year-round”

Few employers acknowledge any significant difference between co-workers

Green Jobs in Natural Resources

Special Reports and Publications 10 stand-alone reports focused on green occupations Occupational brochures 2 educational posters 1 compete 12 green jobs-related articles Survey report New dedicated page: Also posted to our blog and twitter accountsblogtwitter

New software will bring long-term benefits… Will allow for iMatchSkills to identify green jobs based on selected skills Employers will be able to post green jobs Job-seekers will be able to search for green jobs Allows for continued research of jobs postings coded as green jobs Allows for estimate of current green job openings throughout Oregon

Oregon’s Career Information System (CIS) Determine career planners’ needs for information related to green jobs Incorporate needed data into the CIS New occupations and industries files detailing required skills, training, and credentials Updated FAQs Overview articles of new information Develop curriculum to help students understand green jobs Collaborate with national CIS office

DCCWD – Career Pathways Identify and map career paths and skill progressions that lead to green jobs Identify industry and occupation-specific technical competencies Design career roadmaps (and certificates if appropriate) for entry-level positions and progressive job advancement This project will use a new, statewide approach which links available occupational training at multiple community colleges throughout Oregon

DCCWD – Green Training Performance System Code and “mine” data from Oregon’s 17 community colleges to identify Green training participation rates Job placement Job wages and wage progression Job advancement and worker success Determine if green training programs are successful Businesses surveyed to identify needed skills and competencies

Recent On-line Job Ads

The Green LMI Grant has been extended… New end date is September 31, 2011 No new funds were awarded Will ensure completion of the WorkKeys profiles, and their incorporation in to other products Will ensure completion of the AutoCoder project Will allow us to conduct a final analysis combining all green sectors into one study Will allow us to complete a 2 nd statewide green jobs survey, with results out in late fall

Charlie Johnson Senior Economic Analyst

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