Clean Energy Job Losses Could Worsen Without Aid, Analysis Shows

Energy

The clean energy industry lost 27,000 jobs in May, according to a new analysis of U.S. unemployment data conducted by BW Research Partnership. Prakasit Khuansuwan / EyeEm / Getty Images

The clean energy industry lost 27,000 jobs in May, according to a new analysis of U.S. unemployment data conducted by BW Research Partnership.


The analysis found that while the rate of job losses slowed in May, relative to March and April, the looming end of the Paycheck Protection Program, a federal program to help small businesses retain employees, could cause new rounds of layoffs without further intervention. Nearly one-in-five clean energy workers have lost their job since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though just a small portion of total nationwide job losses, the result has been devastating to an industry that had been growing rapidly. Some of the states hit hardest in May include Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Michigan. The May job losses and PPP expiration “indicates it will be very tough for the clean energy sector to return to its economy-leading jobs growth” without help from Congress or state governments, the analysis said.

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