WASHINGTON — The Solar Foundation has released its National Solar Jobs Census 2013, which found that the United States solar industry employed 142,698 Americans as of November 2013. This figure includes the addition of 23,682 solar workers over the previous year, representing 19.9 percent growth in employment since September 2012. During the period covered by the census, solar employment grew 10 times faster than the national average employment rate of 1.9 percent.

Seventy-seven percent of the nearly 24,000 new solar workers since September 2012 are new jobs, rather than existing positions that have added solar responsibilities, representing 18,211 new jobs created.

Installers added the most solar workers over the previous year, growing by 22 percent, an increase of 12,500 workers.

Solar employment is expected to grow by 15.6 percent over the next 12 months, representing the addition of approximately 22,240 new solar workers. Forty-five percent of all solar establishments expect to add solar employees during this period.

For more information, visit www.thesolarfoundation.org.

Publication date: 2/17/2014

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