A San Francisco nonprofit has released a study showing that green jobs are growing as fast as tech jobs, and at a rate three times that of older, less ecologically sound industries.
Green employment includes a wide variety of industries and professions, such as recyclers, architects, and technicians, according to Grist. All told, green employment accounts for around 174,000 jobs in the state.
It also includes manufacturing, which is good news for the state. For decades, the state's manufacturing industries faced a slow decline, but the surge in demand for newer, cleaner technology has revived factories.
Those new jobs are being amplified throughout various industries, with more employment translating into more revenue, which in turn provides for additional jobs.
The Bay Area is a hub for California's new economy. In San Francisco, green jobs increased more than 100 percent in the last decade and a half, and the region provides over a quarter of the state's green employment. Silicon Valley's solar industry and local universities contribute significantly.
In the coming years, California will need to maintain a fast pace of innovation to remain competitive with China and Europe. Those markets have a head start on developing clean infrastructure.
