Efficiency First

California’s Green Economy: Summary of Survey Results- prepared by State of California Employment Development Department Labor Market Information Division.

This survey has been completed in response to the 2008 enactment of the federal Green Jobs Act of 2007.   It was used primarily to understand the nature of the green economy, the number of green jobs, and the effects of environmental policy initiatives on the growth of industries in the state. One of the biggest challenges in the national discussion about the emerging green economy is defining and understanding what constitutes a green job.

The results of the California’s Green Economy Survey provided California with baseline data on important segments of the state’s green economy.  The total green jobs estimate of 432,840 accounted for 3.4 percent of California’s total employment for the survey period.  The survey demographic consisted of more than 51,100 private and public sector employers representing all industries, firm sizes, and counties in the state and was mailed out randomly.

The objectives of the survey were to:

• Obtain an estimate of the current number of green jobs/ workers in California.

• Identify the current and changing business practices that are helping California to achieve a cleaner, more sustainable environment — in terms of both producers and users of green or sustainable technology/energy.

• Identify the occupations that are emerging in our movement toward a cleaner, more sustainable economy and to determine the extent of and reasons behind business adoption of green practices.

• Identify resources and strategies to assist businesses in cutting costs by reducing energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Conclusion/ Future Research:

The main objectives of California’s Green Economy Survey were to estimate the number of green jobs that exist in the state, measure employers’ green practices, and collect information on 34 emerging occupations. Future research will ensure that California is actively tracking changes in the green economy.

To read the full report:

http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/contentpub/GrSurveyRpt_1115.pdf