Environmental protection provides employment for 2 million

Refurbishment of buildings promises more 'green' jobs

worker with tools and crash helmetClick to enlarge
Environmental protection employs nearly 2 million
Source: industrieblick / Fotolia.com

Nearly two million workers owed their jobs to environmental protection in 2010, which is 4.8 per cent of the workforce in Germany. This makes environmental protection a key factor for the labour market. Employment in this sector increased slightly over 2008, by 18,000 workers. But this increase is almost exclusively due to rising demand from abroad. "The number of people employed in environmental protection is stagnant although at a high level. Luckily, there is room for improvement, namely in the energy upgrading of buildings sector. If the Federal Government achieves its objective of doubling the rate of energy upgrading, from its current annual rate of less than 1 per cent to two per cent, this would boost the number of jobs significantly. The construction materials and the skilled trades in particular would benefit", said Maria Krautzberger, President of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). The Climate Protection Action Programme which the Federal Government wants to adopt in early December 2014 could provide the necessary momentum.
No. 48/2014

Investments for heat insulation in buildings, which employed about 93,000 people in 2010 account for nearly as much employment in environmental protection as similar investments made by the government and businesses in "classical" environmental protection, for example waste disposal, protection of waters, noise abatement or air quality control.

The steady rise in global demand for environmental and climate protection technologies is also becoming a driver of employment. Exports of environmental protection goods accounted for about 49,000 jobs in 2006 and grew to about 78,000 in 2010. This positive development is set to continue in the next few years if Germany can maintain its strong competitive edge. "The competition is heating up because many countries are starting to see the economic advantages of environmental and climate protection. Germany therefore needs environmental policies which drive innovations and pursue ambitious environmental goals", said Maria Krautzberger.

For lack of more current data, the total number of people employed through environmental protection can only be determined for 2010, but there are estimates for the years up to 2013 in the renewable energy sector. These estimates claim a decline in employment in this sector in 2013, by about 7 per cent compared to the previous year, which can be accounted for almost entirely by the downturn in solar energy. Despite this downturn, nearly 371,000 people were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2013 – more than twice as many as ten years ago.

The German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin provided the estimates of the numbers employed in environmental protection as part of recent study which was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Environment Agency. Says Maria Krautzberger, "The figure of two million employed because of environmental protection is a conservative estimate; in actual fact, environmental protection employs even more people in Germany. Quite a number of areas such as ecotourism, green insurance products and product-integrated environmental protection are either not, or only partially, included due to a lack of data."

Umweltbundesamt Headquarters

Wörlitzer Platz 1
06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Germany

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 green job  jobs  employment and environment  energetic refurbishment of buildings  energy refurbishment of buildings