Los Angeles has surpassed the Bay Area as the area home to more green jobs than any other region in the nation, and those jobs will more than double in number in the next 30 years, according to a study released by Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs Network (CCEJ Network).
The report, prepared by Philip Romero, former Dean of the California State University Los Angeles College of Business and Economics, says that the rapid growth in the sector will continue, with the number of green jobs in the region likely to double to more than 433,000 by 2040.
‘California's commitment to clean energy is starting to bear fruit in the form of high-wage, skilled jobs,’ says Tom Steyer, founder and co-managing partner of Farallon Capital Management LLC and co-chair of the CCEJ Network. ‘Los Angeles is a great example of what is possible if we double-down on investments in clean energy, instead of continuing our reliance on fossil fuels.’
According to the study, the green-job sector has grown at triple the rate of the rest of the region's economy over the last 15 years. Green jobs accounted for about 178,500 of the roughly 4.5 million workers employed in the Los Angeles region in 2010, or about 3.9% of total employment, and 4.5% of private-sector employment.
‘The study reinforces what we have known Los Angeles is capable of being: a center of innovation and green-job creation,’ says Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. ‘We have made great progress and remain committed to strengthening public-private partnerships, bringing new research opportunities, clean manufacturing, and other high-quality cleantech jobs to the L.A. region.’
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