As Congress this week considers new stimulus measures for clean energy and other sectors of our economy, a new study shows 76,685 workers were employed in clean energy in Wisconsin at the end of 2019. According to Clean Jobs Midwest 2020,clean energy had been one of Wisconsin’s biggest and fastest-growing employment sectors, growing 2.8% since 2017 and 2 times faster than total statewide employment. At the end of 2019, more people in Wisconsin worked in clean energy than real estate agents and brokers, computer programmers, web developers, and waiters and waitresses–and 2 times more than work in fossil fuels.
In 2019, clean energy employment in the Midwest increased for the fifth straight year, growing to more than 744,000 and accounting for over 2 percent of the entire Midwest workforce, according to Clean Jobs Midwest 2020.
But despite being a bright spot in the Midwest economy in recent years, the clean energy industry is now shedding jobs at alarming rates because of COVID-19 and the economic downturn, according to a separate analysis of Department of Labor data by E2 and partners.
Since March, 11,366 Wisconsin clean energy workers have filed for unemployment, including 532 new claims filed in May, according to the analysis. In the Midwest, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio have been hit hardest by the clean energy job losses. Nationwide, more than 620,000 clean energy workers have filed for unemployment. For a full breakdown of clean energy jobs losses in each sector and for every state, see the full analysis here.
Given the size and scope of the clean energy industry, such sustained losses would cast a pall on the Midwest’s – and the nation’s – overall economic recovery. As Clean Jobs Midwest 2020 shows, clean energy provides jobs across hundreds of occupations – including electricians, HVAC technicians, lighting professionals, factory workers, solar and wind installers – and across numerous sectors of the Midwest’s economy, including construction, energy, manufacturing, transportation, finance and agriculture.
According to E2 and Clean Energy Trust, Congress and the Trump administration – along with state leaders – should take quick and substantive action that can get clean energy workers back on the job today and rebuilding our economy back better, cleaner and faster for tomorrow. Support through economic stimulus funding, state policies that advance clean energy, and other measures are particularly important to the region’s small businesses. As Clean Jobs Midwest 2020 shows, 69% of Wisconsin’s clean energy workforce were employed by businesses with fewer than 20 employees while more than 19,500 of all jobs were based in rural areas.
Ian Adams, Managing Director at Clean Energy Trust said:
“It has been difficult to witness the job losses in the clean energy industry due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry was growing faster than the overall economy in the Midwest and was expected to continue to do so. However, while the Midwest has been hit hard by the global health crisis, I am optimistic that the clean energy industry is well-positioned to be an engine of growth to drive the future economic recovery.”
Micaela Preskill, Midwest Advocate of the national, nonpartisan business group E2 said:
“History has shown us that clean energy investments and stimulus have a track record of creating jobs and building our economy. As we look to economic recovery, we urge lawmakers to consider the size, scope and potential for growth of the clean energy industry. Hundreds of thousands of electricians, construction workers, technicians and factory workers work in clean energy in every corner of our region and the industry has grown year after year.”
Heather Allen, Interim Executive Director, RENEW Wisconsin
“Earlier this year, renewable energy was one of the fastest growing employment sectors in the country. Wisconsin is not exempt from the unemployment impact of COVID-19, but solar installers and other clean energy workers have already started rebuilding our economy and putting our state back to work. Clean energy jobs can provide family-supporting career opportunities for Wisconsin residents.”
Losses Eliminate Growth Across Key Sectors
| STATE CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY | ||
| Sector | Q4 2019 Employment | Unemployment Claims Since March |
| Energy Efficiency | 63,569 | 9,259 |
| Renewables | 5,958 | 890 |
| Advanced Transportation | 4,615 | 664 |
| Grid & Storage | 2,175 | 327 |
| Clean Fuels | 368 | 226 |
| TOTAL | 76,685 | 11,366 |
Wisconsin’s largest clean energy employer, energy efficiency, has been the hardest hit by the crisis—losing 9,259 jobs or 14.6% of its total workforce. In 2019, the sector grew to 63,569 jobs.
Nationally energy efficiency has accounted for nearly 70% of all clean energy job losses. In Wisconsin, 81% of clean energy unemployment filing were by energy efficiency workers.
Wisconsin’s advanced transportation sector was also severely impacted, losing 664 jobs in factories that manufacture electric and hybrid vehicles and the parts that go in them. Renewable energy—particularly wind and solar energy workers—lost 890 jobs or 14.9% of the total renewable energy workforce.
Detailed and interactive breakdowns of Wisconsin’s clean energy economy are available at CleanJobsMidwest.com – including job totals for every Wisconsin county, congressional district, and state legislative district.
