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Jobs are being created in California at at a faster pace than the rest of the economy because of green businesses.
The report from Next 10, a nonprofit research group in Palo Alto, explores California’s “core green economy,” including areas such as research and advocacy, finance and investment, energy efficiency, recycling and building. The study, to be released today, determined that the number of green companies surged 45% from 1995 to 2008, and total jobs in areas such as energy efficiency, renewable fuels and clean tech grew 36%. During the same period general employment in the state expanded just 13%.
From January 2007 to January 2008 green jobs increased 5% while total jobs declined 1%.
The number of green jobs in the Golden State jumped to 159,000 in 2008 from 117,000 in 1995, an average annual growth rate of 2.4%, according to what Next 10 called “the most comprehensive accounting” of the sector ever conducted.
Policies that favor energy efficiency and legislative mandates, combined with an openness to change, has created this pro-jobs environment. Now, to do it on a national level…!
