New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced the state reached a record number of 165,000 workers in green economy jobs last year.
The record breaking number of New York green economy workers is helping to lead the state's COVID-19 economic recovery by recouping such jobs that were lost in 2020, Hochul said in a Nov. 29 news release. The 2021 numbers exceeded pre-COVID-19 clean energy employment levels by 1,300 jobs.
"More than 7,000 clean energy jobs in New York state alone!" Granholm said in a Twitter post three days later. "Amazing. This is what it's all about."
Hochul's release included the 2022 New York Clean Energy Industry Report by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority that found New York recuperated many energy jobs during the COVID pandemic and exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 1,300 jobs.
"This year's Clean Energy Industry Report shows what I have always known to be true of New Yorkers - that we are resilient, and we keep moving forward in the face of adversity," Hochul said in the release. "Although COVID-19 greatly impacted the entire economy over the last few years, we have seen how the clean energy industry has led the way in our recovery. More New Yorkers than ever before are employed with family-sustaining clean energy jobs and are actively helping New York build a workforce that can meet the demands of the future."
Solar accounted for the greatest job gains in the renewable electric power generation technology sector, according to the report. Solar firms across New York lost more than 400 workers between 2019 and 2020 but grew by more than 1,000 workers between 2020 and 2021.
This is a good sign, New York State Energy and Research Development Authority President Doreen Harris said in the news release.
"Establishing a strong clean energy workforce goes hand in hand with advancing the vital work that needs to be done across all industry sectors to meet our ambitious climate goals," Harris said in the release. "We certainly can't have one without the other, and this year's report shows that we continue to establish the building blocks needed for green jobs so that New York families - all across the state - can participate in and benefit from our transition away from fossil-fuels to clean energy."
