Green Jobs Now: Colorado - WorkingNation's Data-Driven Report on the State's Greening Economy

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Feb 25, 2022, 11:47 ET

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WorkingNation, a nonprofit news organization reporting on the future of work, today released "Green Jobs Now: Colorado" – multimedia reports and original data showing how green jobs affect Colorado's economy and how upskilling the workforce in green ways could drive growth.

Green Jobs Now, a series from WorkingNation. (PRNewsfoto/WorkingNation)

Colorado's green economy includes nearly 28,000 workers, already the third-largest green workforce among U.S. states, according to Emsi Burning Glass, the firm that collected and analyzed original data for the project. With a projected 10.3% increase in employment demand in the next five years, Emsi Burning Glass adds, Colorado's green jobs growth should easily outpace the projected national average of 5.7%. A planned $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure investment should help drive such jobs in Colorado and nationally.

"Colorado's a very forward looking state, so we like to lean into trends to have the good jobs of tomorrow rather than the good jobs of yesterday," Gov. Jared Polis told WorkingNation in an interview for Green Jobs Now. "That aligns well with our forward-looking vision on air quality and climate, to make sure that Colorado is a leader in the clean energy revolution in jobs across the continuum."

"Green Jobs Now: Colorado" identifies the state's most in-demand green skills overall and for selected occupations, and suggests certain workers could get salary boosts by learning and applying green skills. In many roles, green skills offer average annual salary boosts of $1,200 or more, with some commanding a premium upwards of $5,000. What's more, Emsi Burning Glass estimates there are nearly a million workers in Colorado from a variety of different occupations and educational backgrounds who could be reskilled into green jobs if they were given access to appropriate training.

Solar installers, energy efficiency specialists, and building and general maintenance technicians are among the most common green occupations in Colorado currently.

"Green Jobs Now: Colorado" is the latest state-focused installment of the WorkingNation/Emsi Burning Glass "Green Jobs Now" series, a data-driven journalism project to define and identify green jobs and skills, pinpoint where workers can find them, and present a vivid snapshot of the green economy. Prior installments looked at green jobs in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and nationally.

The Colorado reporting includes:

a WorkingNation.org article by Ramona Schindelheim on Colorado as a green leader among states.
a "Work Green, Earn Green" audio podcast coming soon.
an "I Want That Job!" video offering an inside look at recycling robotics and its green aspects.
an Emsi Burning Glass report detailing green jobs data and trends in the Centennial State.

Media organizations interested in accessing WorkingNation's data and experts may reach out to the contact below.

About WorkingNation

WorkingNation is a nonprofit journalism organization telling stories about solutions to the jobs skills gap disrupting our economy. Follow us on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact:

Steve Delsohn
[email protected]
805-358-3318

SOURCE WorkingNation