The Office of Energy Jobs focuses on supporting the creation of jobs in the energy sector, particularly jobs that guarantee high standards and the right to collective bargaining. Energy Jobs works collaboratively across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and with other federal agencies and regulatory bodies to ensure the successful transition to a zero-emissions economy while creating meaningful job opportunities for all Americans.
A pivotal component of the successful transition of the American energy sector is ensuring that job creation, job quality, and equitable access to jobs are taken into consideration in DOE funding, initiatives, and priorities. The Office of Energy Jobs leads efforts to align energy workforce development programs with our jobs goals, support DOE’s engagement with labor unions, manages the 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board, and publishes the annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report.
Focus areas include:
- U.S. Energy and Employment Report – The U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) provides a comprehensive overview of the energy labor market. The USEER offers unique insights into the individuals who meet the nation’s energy needs, identifies important trends and skillsets for the 21st century energy workforce, and provides data on employment trends in five major energy sectors — Electric Power Generation; Transmission, Distribution, and Storage; Fuels; Energy Efficiency; and Motor Vehicles.
- 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board – The 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board was established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to develop a strategy for the department to support current and future energy-sector labor needs, strengthen DOE’s workforce programs, and expand energy jobs and training opportunities for students, underrepresented workers, and displaced energy workers.
- DOE Labor Working Group – The DOE Labor Working Group is an informal forum for DOE, labor unions, and other workforce organizations to engage on key energy topics.
- Department of Energy – Department of Labor Memorandum of Understanding – Through this MOU, Energy Jobs manages cross-department efforts to attract, train, retain, and empower diverse, qualified, well-compensated workers for jobs in clean energy infrastructure and supply chains, including underrepresented workers and those displaced by the energy transition.
- Community Benefits Plan – The Community Benefits Plan is DOE’s approach to accounting for the ways in which labor and community engagement, quality jobs, investing in workers, DEIA, and energy justice contribute to the successful implementation of federally-funded energy projects.
- Battery Workforce Initiative – The Battery Workforce Initiative is marquis workforce effort for DOE that brings together broad industry stakeholders, including employers and labor unions, to develop consensus on standards skills and training required to support the rapid growth of the battery supply chain in the U.S. It is a collaborative project between Energy Jobs and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.