OLMIS

by Gail Krumenauer
Published May-10-2012

In March 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released employment estimates of green goods and services (GGS) jobs for the U.S., each of the 50 states, and the District of Columbia. The BLS defines green goods and services jobs as those that produce goods and provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. The BLS estimates that Oregon had 54,953 green goods and services jobs in 2010. This translates to 3 percent of the state's total covered employment. More than two-thirds (37,642) of Oregon's GGS jobs were in privately owned firms. These jobs made up 3 percent of total private employment in 2010.

In February 2012, the Oregon Employment Department (OED) published the results of its second statewide green jobs survey. In Oregon, a green job is defined as one with essential job duties related to producing a product or providing a service that relates to: increasing energy efficiency; producing renewable energy; preventing, reducing, or mitigating environmental degradation; cleaning up and restoring the natural environment; or providing education, consultation, or other services related to the previous categories. We estimate that there were 43,148 green jobs statewide in 2010, which totaled 3 percent of the state's combined private, state, and local covered employment.

The BLS and OED used different definitions of "green", surveyed different firms, and used different estimation methods to arrive at each count of green employment. In addition, the BLS published estimates by industry for private employment alone, while OED published green estimates by industry for private, state government, and local government employment combined. Despite these differences, both surveys show some similarities in results. Both the BLS and OED found that green jobs made up roughly 3 percent of Oregon's workforce in 2010. Both surveys also found that the manufacturing, construction, and professional and technical services sectors were among the top five industries by count of green employment.

For more information about green goods and services employment, visit BLS.gov/GGS. To learn more about Oregon's green jobs, visit QualityInfo.org/Green.