Green Building Creates Green Jobs for a Green Economy

Green building creates green jobs, and green jobs will be crucial as we build a new green economy.

Green building continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy real estate market. While much of the construction industry has been stagnant, green building construction maintains its market share of non-residential buildings and has even grown in several sectors (McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012). Green building accounts for more than one-third of all non-residential design and construction and will grow to more than one-half of all construction within the next five years (McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012). By 2013, green buildings will support nearly 8 million workers in a range of occupations including construction managers, carpenters, electricians, architects, truck drivers and cost estimators, among many others (Booz Allen Hamilton, 2009).

The increased demand for green building construction has created an increased need for a skilled and trained workforce. According to a forthcoming report on the green building industry by McGraw-Hill Construction, “training is essential for getting and maintaining green jobs; 30 percent of green job workers say they needed additional training when they started and most report that formal education and training programs will continue to be needed. Hiring firms agree; 71 percent of hiring decision makers maintain that being credentialed increases competitiveness” (McGraw-Hill Construction, 2012).

USGBC and its members have been deeply engaged in the current and ongoing discussion of America’s new green economy. The resources on this page will help you harness the power of USGBC’s work, whether you use our Career Center to find a green job or study the research on the role of green building in a green economy to do your part in advocating for an economically and environmentally sustainable American future.

Resources

USGBC Fact Sheet on Green Jobs
Green Economy is a Growth Economy: How Green Building Supports Jobs Creation, Workforce Transformation and Economic Recovery

McGraw-Hill Construction Report Finds that Demand for Green Buildings Exceeds Workforce Supply
In May 2012, McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC) released a SmartMarket Report, Construction Industry Workforce Shortages: Role of Certification, Training and Green Jobs in Filling the Gaps, in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council and AIA on the current state of the green construction market and workforce. MHC predicts that by 2014 green building jobs will account for nearly half of the design and construction workforce. The demand for green buildings exceeds the supply of trained workers. Professional credentials and workforce development programs play a large role in bridging this gap.

Greenbuild: Growing Green Building Market Supports 661,000 Green Jobs in the U.S.—a Third of the Design and Construction Workforce—According to New McGraw-Hill Construction Study
McGraw-Hill Construction kicks off Greenbuild with new research results, GreenSource event guide, and in-booth interviews with prominent green experts

A Booz Allen Hamilton study released by USGBC on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Greenbuild 2009 predicts green building will support or create 7.9 million jobs between 2009-2013 and will contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product.
Download the full study (PDF) »
Download a slideshow summary of the report (PPT) »

Find a Green Job

The USGBC Career Center was constructed to help connect our members (employees and recruiters alike) with new employment opportunities, including great green jobs.»

LEED Accredited Professional
The LEED AP Credential will help you become a more attractive candidate for green jobs. Find out how to achieve accreditation at GBCI.org »

LEED Professional Credentials mean Green Jobs for Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in accordance with the G.I. Bill, is reimbursing veterans, eligible dependents and reservists for the cost of any of the LEED Professional Exams. For more information, please visit the VA website. »

Green Jobs Summit at Greenbuild
Hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council in partnership with the BlueGreen Alliance and the Center for American Progress, the Green Jobs Summit provides a forum to develop a shared plan of action to accelerate the creation of green jobs in a clean energy economy. The Summit convenes key leaders, experts, advocates, and practitioners from government, business, labor and the public for in-depth and interactive conversations to advance the green jobs movement. »

Education Provider Program
Take the next step in your green building education with USGBC's Education Provider Program. This program provides access to high-quality, peer-reviewed courses for professionals seeking to go beyond LEED and enrich their knowledge of green building theories, techniques, and business trends. Give yourself the competitive edge in an emerging green economy. Visit the Education Program Provider page on USGBC.org for more information »

» 5/17/12 -   Demand for Green Buildings Exceeds Workforce Supply
» 4/3/12 -     Building an Inclusive Economy: Green Building Construction Supports Green Jobs for All
» 2/29/12 -   Blue is the New Green: Organized Labor and Environmental Sector Rally for Good, Green Jobs
» 2/3/12 -     While Pundits Debate Green Jobs, We're Putting Americans Back to Work
» 1/26/12 -   An America Built to Last: Five Wins for Green Building in the SOTU
» 1/10/12 -   The Promise of the Green Economy: Strengthening the Economy while Protecting the Environment
» 11/15/11 - "In a tough economy, it's a really bad idea to set fire to money. That's pretty much what we do when we waste energy"
» 10/31/11 - "Green Jobs" versus "Jobs"? - It's Not a Competition, They're One in the Same
» 10/25/11 - Green Jobs Summit at Greenbuild 2011 Calls for Mobilization around this Common Sense Economic Solution
» 10/20/11 -  Accounting for Energy Efficiency: SAVE Act Would Improve Mortgage Underwriting, Create Jobs, Save Households Money
» 9/9/11 -      The President, the Packers, and Winning One for the American People
» 9/2/11 -      Clean Energy and Conservation the Silver Bullet the American Economy Needs

Research Publications: Green Economy

Construction Industry Workforce Shortages: Role of Certification, Training and Green Jobs in Filling the Gaps
May 2012, McGraw-Hill Construction
This report studied the current state of the green construction market and workforce. Green building design and construction, defined by McGraw-Hill Construction as LEED or comparable sustainable construction standards, account for nearly a third of the design and construction workforce, supporting nearly 650,000 jobs. The report estimates that this figure will increase to half of the design and construction workforce by 2014. Training programs and professional credentials are bridging the skilled workforce gap. An McGraw-Hill Construction survey of architect, engineer and contractor firms revealed that 71 percent of firms considered professional credentials as a boost to their competitiveness. 75 percent of individuals surveyed believe that having a professional credential, including LEED Green Associate or AP, brought them more job opportunities.

Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow
July 2009, White House Council of Economic Advisers
This report projects that green jobs will continue to grow faster than those within the U.S. economy as a whole in the coming years. The report examines environment-related jobs growth among engineers, technicians and scientists and finds that such jobs grew faster than other occupations between 2000 and 2006 and projected fast relative growth through 2016.

Current and Potential Green Jobs in the U.S. Economy
October 2008, U.S. Conference of Mayors & Mayors Climate Protection Center
This study measures how many direct and indirect jobs are in the emerging U.S. green economy. Currently, the economy generates more than 750,000 green jobs and is projected to create 4.2 million green jobs over the next 30 years. Economic opportunities for the green building sector are also outlined in this report.

Green Recovery: A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy
September 2008, Pollin, R. et. al for Center of American Progress
This report describes a recovery program for a green economy that would create 2 million jobs over the next two years. Of the six key infrastructure investment strategies outlined, retrofitting buildings is considered the “most obvious” option for green investment.

Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World
September 2008, Worldwatch Institute for United Nations Environment Programme
This comprehensive report presents quantifications, estimates, and projections for green jobs around the world. Energy-efficiency measures in the building sector, notably green building and retrofitting, are highlighted as primary drivers in the growing green economy.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century
2007, Bezdek, R. for the American Solar Energy Society
A study on the current and future state of the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries in the United States. The report found that 40 million Americans could be employed in these industries by 2030, generating $4.53 trillion in annual revenue.