Workforce diversity for green jobs

Dear EarthTalk: What’s being done to get more minorities into green jobs? — Sam W.

Green jobs—those that directly contribute to a sustainable environment—have been growing in need as the world has become more eco-focused. According to the Solar Energies Industries Association (SEIA), between 2014 and 2019 employment in the solar energy sector increased five times faster than job growth in the general U.S. economy.

Despite this, there is still more to be done to improve workforce diversity. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory reported that 69 percent of the wind energy work force is white, and SEIA found that its workforce is 73 percent white. There is a clear lack of diversity in the green jobs workforce, often due to an underrepresentation of minorities trained in leadership roles, wage gaps unequal hiring practices. Lucky, there are a few ways to address this problem.

The first solution is advancing access to training and degrees required for green jobs. Engineering jobs require bachelor’s degrees, but in 2022 only a quarter of engineering bachelor’s degrees were earned by women, and in 2018 only 4.6 percent were earned by Black people. In order to create a more diverse workforce, companies should offer financial aid for higher education and create real-life, research experiences designated for women and people of color.

Jobs that do not require degrees, such as repair, maintenance and construction, are covered by unions, though while unions generally protect workers’ rights and improve working conditions, they have a history of being exclusionary. Unions can implement new programs and policies, such as mentorship programs, to increase minority representation and improve worker skills.

EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk.