For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, September 28, 2012                 USDL-12-1941

Technical information: (202) 691-6599  *  ggs-occinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/ggsocc
Media contact:         (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


           OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES IN GREEN GOODS
                    AND SERVICES -- NOVEMBER 2011


In November 2011, transportation and material moving occupations
accounted for 539,470 jobs, or approximately 28 percent of total
employment, in establishments that received all of their revenue from
green goods and services, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. The production (208,180) and office and administrative support
(194,440) occupational groups were the second- and third-largest in
all-green establishments, representing about 11 and 10 percent of 
employment, respectively. (See table 1.)

According to 2010 annual average data published by the Green Goods and
Services (GGS) survey, about three-fifths of the 3.1 million jobs
associated with green goods and services production were in establishments
that received all of their revenue from green goods and services. This
Occupational Employment and Wages in Green Goods and Services (GGS-OCC)
release presents November 2011 occupational employment and wage information
for 1.9 million jobs in these all-green establishments. (See Technical Note
for an explanation of the differences between the GGS and GGS-OCC data.)

The GGS-OCC data are based on a sample of approximately 93,000 business
establishments in 333 industries identified as potentially producing 
green goods or providing green services. The data consist of occupational
employment and wage information categorized by the percent of the
establishments' revenue received from green goods and services (GGS).
The establishments covered in this release received 100 percent of their
revenue from green goods and services. Occupational employment and wage
data for in-scope establishments with no green revenue and with mixed
green and nongreen revenue are available from the GGS-OCC web site at
www.bls.gov/ggsocc/. More information about the GGS-OCC data is provided
in the Technical Note.

Occupations

   --Five of the 6 largest detailed occupations in all-green establishments
     were in the transportation and material moving occupational group.
     These 5 occupations were school or special client bus drivers (174,450);
     transit and intercity bus drivers (111,760); refuse and recyclable
     materials collectors (56,930); hand laborers and freight, stock, and
     material movers (54,890); and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
     (39,060). (See table 2.)

   --The largest occupations in all-green establishments outside of
     the transportation and material moving group included forest and
     conservation technicians, with employment of 56,620; general and
     operations managers (32,030); secretaries and administrative
     assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (30,470); and bus 
     and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (29,570). (See 
     table 2.)

   --Annual mean wages for the largest occupations in all-green
     establishments ranged from $26,270 for hand laborers and freight,
     stock, and material movers to $115,520 for general and operations
     managers. (See table 2.)

Occupational groups by industries

   --The transportation and warehousing industry had 454,710 jobs in
     all-green establishments, more than any other industry. About 73
     percent of these jobs were in transportation and material moving
     occupations. (See table 3.)
     
   --Other industries with large numbers of jobs in all-green
     establishments included public administration (276,020),
     administrative and waste services (274,700), and manufacturing
     (266,510). (See table 3.)

   --Nearly 41 percent of jobs in all-green public administration
     establishments were in life, physical, and social science occupations.
     Transportation and material moving occupations made up about 42
     percent of the jobs in all-green administrative and waste services
     establishments. Over half of the jobs in all-green manufacturing
     establishments were in production occupations. (See table 3.)
     
Detailed occupations in selected industries

Utilities, construction, and professional, scientific, and technical
services were among the industries with the highest percentage of
revenue from green goods and services in 2010, based on results from
the GGS survey. Selected data for these industries are shown in tables
4, 5, and 6 and highlighted below:

   --The utilities industry had 142,030 jobs in all-green establishments. 
     About a quarter of these jobs were in production occupations, 
     including water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators 
     (20,200), power plant operators (4,530), and nuclear power reactor  
     operators (4,380). Outside of the production group, the largest 
     occupations in all-green utilities establishments included nuclear 
     engineers (8,170), security guards (5,270), and industrial machinery 
     mechanics (5,100). (See table 4.)

   --With an annual mean wage of $96,270, nuclear engineers was among
     the highest paying of the largest occupations in all-green utilities
     establishments. The lowest paying of these occupations included
     security guards ($43,580) and water and wastewater treatment plant 
     and system operators ($44,560). (See table 4.)

   --The construction industry had 92,130 jobs in all-green establishments. 
     Fifty-eight percent of these jobs were in construction and extraction 
     occupations, including floor, ceiling, and wall insulation workers 
     (8,210); carpenters (7,860); and construction laborers (7,680). These 
     three occupations made up over one-quarter of employment in all-green 
     construction establishments. Heating, air conditioning, and 
     refrigeration mechanics and installers (5,190) was one of the largest 
     occupations outside of the construction and extraction occupational 
     group. (See table 5.)

   --Floor, ceiling, and wall insulation workers was one of the lowest
     paying occupations in all-green construction establishments, with 
     an annual mean wage of $30,390. The highest paying of the largest
     occupations in all-green construction establishments included
     construction managers ($86,130) and first-line supervisors of
     construction trades and extraction workers ($62,870). (See table 5.)

   --Professional, scientific, and technical services had 138,360 jobs
     in all-green establishments. More than half of these jobs were in
     life, physical, and social science occupations or in architecture 
     and engineering occupations. The largest occupation in all-green
     professional, scientific, and technical services establishments 
     was environmental scientists and specialists, including health, 
     with employment of 12,130. (See table 6.)

   --Several of the largest occupations in all-green professional,
     scientific, and technical services establishments had relatively 
     high annual mean wages, including general and operations managers
     ($132,580), mechanical engineers ($88,750), and architects, except
     landscape and naval ($83,560). (See table 6.)