DOE Quietly Rolls Out Latest Yearly Energy Jobs Report

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With little fanfare, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released the annual United States Energy & Employment Report (USEER). The energy sector employed 8.5 million workers in 2024, accounting for 5.4% of all jobs in the U.S., with Texas, California and Michigan having the highest energy employment, according to the report.

The previous USEER said there were 8.35 million energy jobs in 2023. Written under the Biden administration, the previous report highlighted that "clean energy" employment accounted for more than half of new energy jobs. The new report, while including things like the number of solar- and wind-related jobs, does not put the employment numbers under a "clean energy" banner.

For the first time, the latest USEER includes detailed data on wages and employer benefits in the energy sector. The median wage for the energy sector was $58,810--18.8% higher than the median observed across sectors nationwide.

The Congressionally-mandated report made use of existing federal employment data, as well as a survey of about 42,000 businesses across the country.

According to the report, in 2024:

• The fuels sector employed 1,054,400 workers, with a median wage of $62,780.
• Electric power generation employed 933,800 workers, with a median wage of $65,430.
• Transmission, distribution and storage employed 1,463,700 workers, with a median wage of $59,840.
• The energy efficiency sector employed 2,381,700 workers, with a median wage of $59,390.
• Motor vehicles and component parts employed 2,633,100 workers, with a median wage of $53,620.

Natural gas and oil easily dominated the fuels sector, with 76% of the jobs.

A breakdown of the electric power-generation numbers indicate nearly 54% of the jobs in that sector came from wind and solar power last year. The numbers for this year may be very different, given the Trump administration's pushback against renewable energy in favor of fossil fuels.

A separate report, Clean Jobs America, released by E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) on September 19, said "clean energy" jobs grew more than three times faster than the rest of the U.S. economy in 2024, adding almost 100,000 new jobs. But this was the slowest pace since 2020 amid policy uncertainty and an overall slowing of job and economic growth.

The E2 report defined "clean energy" jobs as those in solar, wind, batteries, energy efficiency, storage and other clean energy subsectors. E2 says it is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors and professionals who "advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment."

The USEER also surveyed employers on their perspectives on employment issues. For example, among respondents employing onshore petroleum fuel workers, the greatest hiring difficulties were noted in construction and other services (including repair and maintenance of mining and extraction equipment), with 95% of employers reporting at least some level of hiring difficulty in each industry. More than half of construction employers (52%) indicated hiring was "very difficult," the report said.

Onshore and offshore petroleum fuel employers reported varying expectations for job growth through 2025, according to the report.

"Among onshore petroleum fuels employers, all industries, apart from manufacturing, anticipate job growth, ranging from 0.4% in wholesale trade to 7.0% in construction," the USEER said.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).