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The
rise marked a return to growth in sector employment following a
contraction in 2020 due to pandemic-related work disruptions,
the annual report by the nonprofit Interstate Renewable Energy
Council found.
Over the last decade, jobs in the industry have more than
doubled from 105,145 in 2011. The solar sector is among the
fastest-growing segments of the U.S. energy industry due to
strong demand from governments and businesses for clean power to
fight climate change.
The industry bills itself as a jobs engine and has pressed
Congress to extend lucrative tax credits that help make solar
arrays competitive with fossil fueled power plants.
California, the nation's top solar market, boasts 29.7% of the
sector's total jobs with 75,712. Other big solar job markets
include Florida, Massachusetts, New York and Texas, each with
more than 10,000 solar workers.
Project installation, development and other demand-side sectors
make up nearly 77% of industry employment, with manufacturing of
solar components accounting for just 13%. The U.S. industry
relies heavily on panels imported from Asia, which has wreaked
havoc in the last two years due to supply chain disruptions,
tariff threats and concerns about industry links to forced labor
in China's Xinjiang region.
A tight labor market has also pressured the industry. Nearly 90%
of solar companies surveyed last year said it was difficult
finding quality applicants, the report said.
Solar workers are less diverse than other industries, the report
found. Women make up fewer than 30% of industry employees,
compared with 47% in the U.S. workforce. Black workers,
meanwhile account for 8% of solar employees compared with 12% in
the national workforce.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gregorio)
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