Green building sector in U.S. to account for 2.3 million jobs in 2015

The green building sector is outpacing overall construction growth in the United States and will account for approximately 2.3 million jobs in 2015, according to a U.S. Green Building Council study from Booz Allen Hamilton.

The 2015 Green Building Economic Impact Study was released on Tuesday and shows that the green building industry contributes more than $134.3 billion in labour income to working Americans.

The research also found that green construction’s growth rate is rapidly outpacing that of conventional construction and will continue to rise.

According to the study, green construction will account for more than 3.3 million U.S. jobs by 2018 (more than one-third of the entire construction sector in the U.S.) and generate $190.3 billion in labour earnings.

The green building industry’s direct contribution to U.S. Gross Domestic Product is also expected to reach $303.5 billion from 2015-2018.

The new USGBC study also explores the economic contribution of green construction to the U.S. economy and individual states, quantifying the economic impact of green building and LEED.

David Erne, a senior associate at Booz Allen, said: “Our research shows that green building has created millions of jobs and contributed hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy, with the construction of LEED- certified buildings accounting for about 40 percent of green construction’s overall contribution to GDP in 2015.”

The study projects significant growth in green building’s contribution to individual states’ tax contributions and environmental asset indicators at both the national and state levels.

Total state earnings related to LEED building construction projects are estimated to total $8.4 billion by 2018.

In Texas alone, almost 1.26 million jobs in the green building sector are projected between 2015 and 2018 and green building will also contribute to significant savings across energy, trash, water and maintenance costs.