The United States has long recognized the connection between innovation, job creation and economic prosperity. In 2014, the Department of Energy created the Jobs Strategy Council (JSC) to advance this mission and join it to the Department's other core missions of ensuring America’s security while leading research and technical development for all energy sectors.

The Department of Energy’s Jobs Strategy Council is a cross-cutting initiative that integrates the research, technical assistance and economic resources of the Department to accelerate the growth of and access to jobs in all sectors of the United States energy economy. JSC brings together technology offices and national laboratories, and coordinates with other Federal agencies, state and local governments and external stakeholders to achieve its mission.

The JSC has three focus areas:

The Job Strategy Council links states, communities, non-governmental organizations and private sector stakeholders with DOE technical assistance programs and interagency partners. JSC convenes, hosts and organizes Federal interagency working groups to facilitate job creation through energy planning, and energy and advanced manufacturing project implementation.

• DOE Labor Working Group
• POWER+
• Partnership for Quality Care
• Vehicles Working Group

Traditional and emerging energy technologies and markets support many millions of direct and indirect jobs in the US economy. JSC identifies and resolves skills and training gaps in the energy and manufacturing workforce development systems by leveraging workforce activities and resources at DOE and Federal agency partners.

• DOE Workforce Training Programs Summary 
• Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Initiative
• Utility Industry Workforce Initiative
  • Veterans in Energy
• National Lab Directors Group
• Interagency Skills Working Group
• Interagency Working Group on Career Pathways
• STEM-e
• Place-Based Initiatives
• Promise Zone Workforce Initiatives

The Jobs Strategy Council provides usable data on job growth/loss in traditional energy sectors, new energy technologies, and energy efficiency. JSC conducts supplemental employment surveys to measure job growth within dynamic energy and energy efficiency technologies, and to provide a more thorough understanding of existing Federal labor statistics. JSC also analyzes and provides data regarding energy impacts on key labor markets, such as construction, motor vehicles and energy intensive manufacturers.

• US Energy and Employment Report 2017
• US Energy and Employment Report 2016
• Department of Energy – Department of Education Job Analyses 
• Federal Agency Energy Stakeholder Engagement

The Jobs Strategy Council meets quarterly and is chaired by the Secretary of Energy. JSC is composed of the heads of the Department’s program offices, representatives of the DOE Lab Council and other selected personnel.

The JSC is not involved in the internal workforce development programs of the Department of Energy’s Federal workforce. Those activities are the responsibility of the Department’s Chief Human Capital Officer.