Green Collar Jobs Demand Analysis

WDCEP and the DC Office of Planning are in the final stages of completing a Green Collar Jobs Demand Analysis. Findings and recommendations from this report will serve as inputs to the District’s decision making on how to best prepare its current workforce to capture emerging “green collar jobs” opportunities and how to best “green” the DC economy.

Steve Moore, President and CEO of WDCEP, says, “This green collar job analysis will serve as an invaluable tool in helping businesses and government not only plan for growth in the green sector of our economy but also understand what it means to the District.”

The study generated the development of several database tools that will be used to determine the number of people, type of jobs, skills and salaries needed to meet the nascent green labor demand resulting from the city’s green building laws and other environmental initiatives.

The District defines “green collar jobs” as career-track employment opportunities in emerging environmental industries as well as conventional businesses and trades, created by a shift to more sustainable practices, materials, and performance. The definition includes both lower and higher skilled employment opportunities that minimize the carbon footprint of all necessary inputs and directly result in the restoration of the environment, the generation of clean energy and improved energy efficiency, the creation of high performing buildings, and the conservation of natural resources. This definition is born out of, and directly responds to, the District’s unique socio-economic environment.

The Green Collar Jobs Demand Analysis will be made available online to the public upon its completion in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for an announcement regarding its online availability.