For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, September 28, 2012 USDL-12-1941
Technical information: (202) 691-6599 * ggs-occinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ggsocc
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES IN GREEN GOODS
AND SERVICES -- NOVEMBER 2011
In November 2011, transportation and material moving occupations
accounted for 539,470 jobs, or approximately 28 percent of total
employment, in establishments that received all of their revenue from
green goods and services, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. The production (208,180) and office and administrative support
(194,440) occupational groups were the second- and third-largest in
all-green establishments, representing about 11 and 10 percent of
employment, respectively. (See table 1.)
According to 2010 annual average data published by the Green Goods and
Services (GGS) survey, about three-fifths of the 3.1 million jobs
associated with green goods and services production were in establishments
that received all of their revenue from green goods and services. This
Occupational Employment and Wages in Green Goods and Services (GGS-OCC)
release presents November 2011 occupational employment and wage information
for 1.9 million jobs in these all-green establishments. (See Technical Note
for an explanation of the differences between the GGS and GGS-OCC data.)
The GGS-OCC data are based on a sample of approximately 93,000 business
establishments in 333 industries identified as potentially producing
green goods or providing green services. The data consist of occupational
employment and wage information categorized by the percent of the
establishments' revenue received from green goods and services (GGS).
The establishments covered in this release received 100 percent of their
revenue from green goods and services. Occupational employment and wage
data for in-scope establishments with no green revenue and with mixed
green and nongreen revenue are available from the GGS-OCC web site at
www.bls.gov/ggsocc/. More information about the GGS-OCC data is provided
in the Technical Note.
Occupations
--Five of the 6 largest detailed occupations in all-green establishments
were in the transportation and material moving occupational group.
These 5 occupations were school or special client bus drivers (174,450);
transit and intercity bus drivers (111,760); refuse and recyclable
materials collectors (56,930); hand laborers and freight, stock, and
material movers (54,890); and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
(39,060). (See table 2.)
--The largest occupations in all-green establishments outside of
the transportation and material moving group included forest and
conservation technicians, with employment of 56,620; general and
operations managers (32,030); secretaries and administrative
assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (30,470); and bus
and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (29,570). (See
table 2.)
--Annual mean wages for the largest occupations in all-green
establishments ranged from $26,270 for hand laborers and freight,
stock, and material movers to $115,520 for general and operations
managers. (See table 2.)
Occupational groups by industries
--The transportation and warehousing industry had 454,710 jobs in
all-green establishments, more than any other industry. About 73
percent of these jobs were in transportation and material moving
occupations. (See table 3.)
--Other industries with large numbers of jobs in all-green
establishments included public administration (276,020),
administrative and waste services (274,700), and manufacturing
(266,510). (See table 3.)
--Nearly 41 percent of jobs in all-green public administration
establishments were in life, physical, and social science occupations.
Transportation and material moving occupations made up about 42
percent of the jobs in all-green administrative and waste services
establishments. Over half of the jobs in all-green manufacturing
establishments were in production occupations. (See table 3.)
Detailed occupations in selected industries
Utilities, construction, and professional, scientific, and technical
services were among the industries with the highest percentage of
revenue from green goods and services in 2010, based on results from
the GGS survey. Selected data for these industries are shown in tables
4, 5, and 6 and highlighted below:
--The utilities industry had 142,030 jobs in all-green establishments.
About a quarter of these jobs were in production occupations,
including water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
(20,200), power plant operators (4,530), and nuclear power reactor
operators (4,380). Outside of the production group, the largest
occupations in all-green utilities establishments included nuclear
engineers (8,170), security guards (5,270), and industrial machinery
mechanics (5,100). (See table 4.)
--With an annual mean wage of $96,270, nuclear engineers was among
the highest paying of the largest occupations in all-green utilities
establishments. The lowest paying of these occupations included
security guards ($43,580) and water and wastewater treatment plant
and system operators ($44,560). (See table 4.)
--The construction industry had 92,130 jobs in all-green establishments.
Fifty-eight percent of these jobs were in construction and extraction
occupations, including floor, ceiling, and wall insulation workers
(8,210); carpenters (7,860); and construction laborers (7,680). These
three occupations made up over one-quarter of employment in all-green
construction establishments. Heating, air conditioning, and
refrigeration mechanics and installers (5,190) was one of the largest
occupations outside of the construction and extraction occupational
group. (See table 5.)
--Floor, ceiling, and wall insulation workers was one of the lowest
paying occupations in all-green construction establishments, with
an annual mean wage of $30,390. The highest paying of the largest
occupations in all-green construction establishments included
construction managers ($86,130) and first-line supervisors of
construction trades and extraction workers ($62,870). (See table 5.)
--Professional, scientific, and technical services had 138,360 jobs
in all-green establishments. More than half of these jobs were in
life, physical, and social science occupations or in architecture
and engineering occupations. The largest occupation in all-green
professional, scientific, and technical services establishments
was environmental scientists and specialists, including health,
with employment of 12,130. (See table 6.)
--Several of the largest occupations in all-green professional,
scientific, and technical services establishments had relatively
high annual mean wages, including general and operations managers
($132,580), mechanical engineers ($88,750), and architects, except
landscape and naval ($83,560). (See table 6.)