US wind sector sees job growth in 2021, new data reveals

Jobs in US onshore and offshore wind saw growth of nearly 3% in 2021, according to a new report by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

A 2.9 per cent increase in wind-sector employment amounted to more than 3,300 jobs in one year, the 2022 US Energy and Employment Report (USEER) said.

The 2021 rise in wind jobs came despite economic challenges caused by supply chain disruptions, Covid, low profit margins for turbine manufacturers and long interconnection queues.

At the end of 2021, there were 120,164 wind jobs in the US. That compared to: 333,887 in solar, which is labour-intensive, 117,412 in oil, 111,196 in natural gas, and 70,831 in coal.

The renewables job sector employed more than 450,000 people compared to nearly 300,000 in fossil fuels.

‘Clean energy jobs on the rise’

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said: “[DOE’s new] report shows that jobs critical to our clean energy transition are on the rise.”

Unlike most energy technologies, wind energy jobs grew from 2019 to 2020, said the report, despite not achieving the overall 4% growth in jobs across the energy sector.

“This increase from 2019 to 2021 is unusual for both the energy industry and the economy overall,” said DOE.

The vast majority of wind workers in 2021 (119,287) were in onshore wind while fewer than 900 were employed in the offshore sector, said DOE. Previous employment reports have not differentiated between onshore and offshore wind, it said.

Responding to the report, the American Clean Power Association (ACP) noted that the clean energy industry in 2021 employed as many people as the natural gas and coal industries combined, despite the challenges faced by the US wind industry.

According to the ACP, new US wind installations were down 25% in 2021 because of economic and logistical challenges.

The US offshore industry is in its infancy, with two large commercial projects currently under construction and only two small projects, of 42 MW, installed in American waters.