The Opportunity

Between 2022 and 2023, growth in demand for green skills is outpacing the increase in supply.

Possessing one or more “green skills” can increase your chances of getting hired by 29%.

— LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report 2023

Nationally, advanced energy jobs are growing fast, high paying, and have many entry opportunities for all skill levels.

Advanced Energy jobs are growing twice as fast as the national average with almost half not requiring a college degree, but offering salaries above the national median. –Advanced Energy United and Burning Glass Institute’s Job Opportunities in Advanced Energy: High-Growth Occupations for Workers of All Backgrounds, 2022.
Renewable energy and energy efficiency industries are experiencing high growth and need professionals at every level from entry to executive, resulting in inherent potential for upward mobility, if workers are provided opportunities to gain the skills necessary for advancing to higher-level positions. - NREL’s State-Level Employment Projections for Four Clean Energy Technologies in 2025 and 2030, 2022.
Green Jobs are expected to grow by nearly 10% over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, the median salary is over 30% higher than the national median salary for the US workforce. – Environment and Energy LEADER, 2023.
Clean energy jobs grew by 4.2% in 2023, more than twice the rate of overall US economic growth at 2%. This growth was evident across all 50 states. - 2024 Dept. of Energy US Energy and Employment Report

Arkansas’ advanced energy sectors hold similar demand, growth, and accessibility.

Energy efficiency is the largest energy sector in Arkansas. (Building Performance Institute’s Arkansas Report of Energy Efficiency Jobs in America, 2024).

Arkansas had a 4.5% increase in Clean Energy Jobs in 2022, when excluding traditional transmission and distribution jobs, but only a 3.1% increase when including those jobs. (US DOE, United States Energy and Employment Report, 2023.)
In Arkansas, “over the next five years, employment demand for green jobs in Arkansas is expected to increase by 9%, outpacing the national average of 5.7%.” – Working Nation’s Green Jobs Now: Arkansas report, 2022.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, more than half of US solar jobs do not require a bachelor’s degree, creating new avenues for more Arkansans to build a fulfilling career. – Solar Energy Industries Association on Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s National Solar Jobs Census, 2023.
“Green jobs also offer higher salaries, with an average of $61,466, in Arkansas. Skills most in demand are related to energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.“ – Working Nation’s Green Jobs Now: Arkansas report, 2022.

Contact Us.

April Ambrose | LEED Fellow
Director of Workforce Development
Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation
(501) 733-9996
workforce@arkansasadvancedenergy.com