LOS ANGELES — One of the key tenets of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan is that it would create millions of good-paying jobs in an emerging green economy. And Friday, a report from the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator said 600,000 of those green jobs could be right here in L.A. County.
Overall, L.A. County is projected to have 40% job growth by 2050, but green jobs will grow almost 80% in the same time frame, according to HR&A Advisors, which conducted the new report with funding from the California and Los Angeles City Workforce Development Boards.
One in twelve jobs in L.A. County is part of the green economy; there are currently 338,000 green jobs and green-related jobs in L.A., according to the report. In addition to positions such as solar installers and recyclable material collectors, electricians, contractors, engineers, and software developers would also drive green job creation. The majority of green jobs do not require a college degree and pay $3 more than traditional forms of employment.
Green investments create more jobs per dollar than other infrastructure investments, the study found. Each $1 million in renewable energy spending yields seven-and-a-half full-time jobs, whereas the same investment in fossil fuels creates 2.7 jobs.
A $1 million investment in transportation electrification creates as many as 15 jobs.
Achieving 600,000 green jobs by 2050 will require support at all levels of government, the report said. While some of the jobs’ funding will come through public investments, including Measures M, R, and W, the L.A. Cleantech Incubator supports President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure stimulus proposal, including a $150 billion investment in the group’s Transportation Electrification Partnership to accelerate transportation electrification in the LA area before the start of the 2028 Olympics.
It also supports Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $1.5 billion proposal to achieve the state’s zero-emissions vehicle goals.