Green Collar Jobs

Green collar jobs are related to products and services that are environment friendly. The organizations that incorporate environment friendly practices are termed as “green” and the jobs arising out of this green policy is “green collared job.” Like other sectors, green sector too has designing, manufacturing, installing, operating and maintenance units. The current scenario of price rise of gasoline, depleting stock of conventional energy sources, ozone effect, global warming are forcing humankind to look for alternative energy sources. Various research organizations are on the verge of breakthroughs as far as green technology is concerned.

Politicians too understand the significance of green jobs; Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are promising millions of dollars as competitive grant money for training workers for “green jobs.” Renewable industry is already generating nearly $1 trillion in revenue in USA. This industry is shelling out more than $150 billion in tax at the federal, state and local level. If public cautiousness coupled with political will compels the companies and organizations to go green, the overall impact over the economy can be profound. The national employment scene will be bursting with the green collar jobs.

A nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) states that as many as one out of four workers in the United States will be working in the renewable energy or energy efficiency industries by 2030. This “green color” jobs report shows that these industries already generate 8.5 million jobs in the United States and with appropriate public policy, could grow to as many as 40 million jobs by 2030 (source: Solar Today, Jan/Feb 2008). The icing on cake is that these 40 million jobs will not just be engineering-related but will also incorporate professionals from manufacturing, construction, management and accounting. Currently the green collar sector is the fifth largest market sector in the US.