Overview of Green Jobs in Minnesota

Rachel VilsackRegional Labor Market Analyst

Labor market information (LMI)

• Each state produces employment and economic statistics in cooperation with U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• LMI includes employment statistics, unemployment rates, wages and salaries, job projections and more.

• LMI is the foundation for informed, market-responsive planning.

What is green?

• Green jobs have a direct or essential impact on a product, service, or process that results in environmental benefits:– An energy-efficient window is considered a green product because it helps save

energy.– Water quality tests are considered green services because they help identify

hazardous pollutants or contaminants in lakes and streams.– Green processes involve creating more efficient ways of doing things through

supply chain analysis or other techniques.

Green jobs in Minnesota

• Minnesota is estimated to have 52,827 green jobs in four sectors:– Environmental conservation

– Renewable energy

– Green services

– Green products

Source “Green Jobs in Minnesota: Market Analysis,”2008. MN Dept. of Employment & Economic Development

• About 2% of job openings in Minnesota are green.– 5% of vacancies in Central

Minnesota – 1% of vacancies in Northwest

Minnesota

Examples of green industries

• Environmental and conservation organizations• Engineering services• Plumbing and HVAC contractors• Solid waste and remediation services• Plastics product manufacturing• Environmental consulting services• Wood window and door manufacturing• Passenger transportation• Environmental controls manufacturing• Recyclable material merchant wholesalers

Green occupations

• Production supervisors*• Bus drivers• Mechanical engineers• Conservation scientists• Environmental health and

safety officers• Biological science technicians*• Marketing managers*• Truck drivers

• Roofers• Architects• HVAC mechanics*• Engineering mangers• Refuse collectors and

recyclers*• Boiler operators• Fleet managers• Forest and conservation

workers** = learn more by watching a career video

at www.MNGreenCareers.org

New and emerging green jobs

• Energy engineers*• Lean manufacturing engineers• Waste/wastewater engineers*• Wind turbine technicians*• Environmental restoration planners*• Energy auditors• Air quality control specialists• Supply chain managers• Sustainability coordinators• Environmental compliance managers*

* = learn more by watching a career video at

www.MNGreenCareers.org

Educational characteristics of green vacancies in Minnesota

Educational Categories

Green Vacancies All Job Vacancies

H.S./GED or less 29% 51%Vocational degree 23% 9%Associate’s degree 6% 6%Bachelor’s degree 38% 21%Advanced degree 3% 5%

Educational requirements

• Almost 70% of all green vacancies need some level of education or training beyond a high school diploma

• Most typical are bachelors and vocational degree

• 44% of green vacancies are in STEM occupations, which typically apply scientific, technical, engineering or math knowledge on the job – Can also include mechanical and design knowledge

STEM skills

• Mechanical – Skilled manual work operating, installing, repairing or troubleshooting equipment

• Technical – Evaluate, design, install, monitor and apply theoretical knowledge to develop or improve products or services

• Math – Use basic math to perform analytical or operational tasks, and advanced math for statistics analysis and scientific calculations

• Design – Develop new products or find way of making existing products more sustainable using creativity, problem solving and critical thinking skills combined with technology design skills

Other important skills

• Research and analysis – Include scientific investigation, compliance auditing, data collection and quality control analysis

• Project management – Mastery of time management, personnel management, budgeting of financial resources and management of material resources

• Sales – Adept at listening to and working in collaboration with the customer in order to identify new product or market opportunities and customized solutions

• General skills that are also important: learning, communication and problem solving

There’s no such thing as a green skill

Rather than “new” skills, green jobs may require specialized expertise in traditional areas with some add-ons typically associated with:

• The use of new technologies

• A new way of approaching an issue

• A new way of combining/applying existing skills and knowledge in a multi-disciplinary fashion

Green education programs

• Found 490 green-related education and training programs in Minnesota’s colleges and universities

• Span the range of green occupations

• Length– 4 years or more, 170 programs– 2-4 years, 180 programs– Less than 2 years, 160 programs– 286 programs that are WIA certified

New green career website

• Read about Minnesota’s green economy, careers, education and jobs

– 45 Minnesota-specific career profiles

– Green educational programs search tool

– 20 career videos featuring green Minnesota occupations www.MnGreenCareers.org

If a green job is for you – where do you start?

• Consider short-term training– Entry level green career– Enhance your existing career

• Don't forget about volunteering

• Start your own green business – Green entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, but if you have an idea

for how a product or service can help the environment, you never know where it might take you.

• Make the job you have now greener

Find green jobs

• Network with green businesses and meet green entrepreneurship in Minnesota

• Green your resume– Emphasize specialized skills of knowledge that might be

important to a green employer

• View green job boards

From a green job to a green lifestyle

• Lead a more environmentally conscious lifestyle– Conserve energy– Reduce waste– Switch to reusable

items– Recycle– Buy green

• Ask employers about their environmental initiatives or green practices– Recycling– Energy efficiency– Use of environmentally-

friendly products or materials

– Carpooling– Telecommuting

Minnesota-produced Labor Market Information is online at:

www.PositivelyMinnesota.com

Rachel VilsackRegional Labor Market Analyst

St. Paul WorkForce CenterPhone: (651) 642-0728

rachel.vilsack@state.mn.us

For a copy of this presentation, green materials and handouts

from today’s event, please visit:

www.MnGreenCareers.org