The North/Far North Center of Excellence (COE) presented an analysis of green jobs in Sacramento at a meeting convened in May by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).

Research Manager Ebony Benzing discussed the “greening” of occupations and the types of jobs requiring green skills in the Sacramento area.

Examples of green economic activities are the reduction in use of fossil fuels, pollution, or greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs); improving energy efficiency; recycling; and the development and adoption of renewable sources of energy. 

The analysis examined three categories of green jobs and looked at the concentration of job postings for green jobs in the five counties comprising the Sacramento area.

Key findings from the presentation include:

• The Sacramento region’s green jobs are projected to increase by 12% over the next five years, adding 35,000 new jobs by 2026.
  
• Analysis of employer preferences in job postings for educational and work experience levels revealed that most jobs with green skills (64%) tend to require a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree. Most jobs requiring green skills also require greater experience levels (43% of job postings stipulate 2+ years of experience compared to 14% requesting one year or less).
  
• Examining job titles that require green skills reveals some common themes. There is a concentration of environmental job titles, such as environmental scientists, planners, health and safety managers, water resources engineers, and field service technicians.  Installation and maintenance jobs also show up frequently and include maintenance technicians and solar installers. Also fairly common are project management job titles, such as project managers and project engineers.