LANSING – Clean energy businesses in Michigan added more than 6,300 new workers in 2021. Clean energy now employs 119,853 Michiganders across the state. That’s according to a new analysis of employment data released by the national, nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) and nonprofit Evergreen Climate Innovations.
The report comes after Congress and the Biden administration passed the largest investment in climate and clean energy in history which is set to boost clean energy jobs and businesses across the state.
After a mild downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Michigan clean energy jobs grew 6 percent in 2021. According to Clean Jobs Midwest 2022, growth in 2021 was driven by advanced transportation, which grew by 21 percent, adding more than 5,210 jobs and now employing 29,484 workers statewide.
Despite the recent growth, clean energy jobs still have significant room to grow in Michigan. Implementing the goals of the MI Healthy Climate Plan will be critical for expanding clean energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle jobs in Michigan.
With billions in funds from the Inflation Reduction Act preparing to be invested nationwide, the state has an enormous opportunity to create tens of thousands more jobs in the coming years. To see the full potential of job and emission reduction benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act, state and federal coordination is needed. Policies that remove barriers for clean energy development like expansion of workforce training programs and transmission infrastructure will also be critical.
According to the analysis, the energy efficiency sector continued to lead in total jobs amongst clean energy sectors in 2021 with more than 74,620 workers, followed by advanced transportation (29,484 jobs) and renewable energy (11,384 jobs). Meanwhile, advanced transportation saw the fastest job growth across clean energy (21 percent), followed by clean fuels (9 percent).
Clean energy employment grew 5 percent nationwide to reach 3.2 million jobs. The Midwest also saw clean energy jobs increase 5 percent, a rate faster than overall employment growth in the region. The 12 state Midwest region is now home to over 714,000 clean energy jobs.
