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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Green Technologies and Practices > About > Overview

Overview

Purpose

The Green Technologies and Practices (GTP) survey is a special survey of business establishments designed to collect data on establishments’ use of green technologies and practices and the occupations of workers who spend more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices. Using the BLS process approach to green jobs, the GTP survey provides data on the incidence of specific green technologies and practices, and on the employment, wages, and occupations of workers who spend more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices.

Scope and reference period

The GTP survey data are estimated from a sample of 35,000 business establishments in the private sector and local, state, and federal governments. All business establishments covered by unemployment insurance are within the scope of the GTP survey, including most larger agricultural establishments. Most workers in small agricultural establishments and those working in private households are not included in the survey. The survey data represent the pay period including August 12th, 2011.

Definition

According to the definition developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, green jobs are either:

The output approach: jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources.
The process approach: jobs in which workers’s duties involve making their establishment's production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.

The GTP survey provides information on jobs using the process approach, while the GGS and OES surveys are collecting information on jobs using the output approach. The results from the first output approach survey are available on the Green Goods and Services webpage, and occupational data related to the output approach will be available in the fall of 2012.

Workers were considered to be involved in green technologies and practices if they were:

researching, developing, maintaining, using, or installing technologies or practices to lessen the environmental impact of their establishment, or
training the establishment’s workers in these green technologies and practices.

The GTP survey identified 6 specific types of green technologies and practices, grouped into 3 broader categories:

Energy from renewable sources and energy efficiency

Generate electricity, heat, or fuel from renewable sources primarily for use within the establishment.
Examples of renewable sources:
- Wind
- Geothermal
- Ocean
- Landfill gas
- Biomass
- Solar
- Hydropower
- Municipal solid waste
Use technologies or practices to improve energy efficiency within the establishment.
Examples:
- Energy Star rated appliances
- Occupying a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building
- Energy efficient lighting
- Programmable thermostats
- Cogeneration (combined heat and power)
- Energy efficient manufacturing equipment

Greenhouse gas reduction and pollution reduction and removal

Use technologies or practices in operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through methods other than renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Examples:
- Purchase and use of carbon offsets
- Promotion and/or subsidy of alternative forms of transportation for employees, such as carpools, fuel efficient vehicles, cycling, or mass transit
- Implementation of a telework program for employees
Use technologies or practices to either reduce the creation or release of pollutants or toxic compounds as a result of operations, or to remove pollutants or hazardous waste from the environment.
Examples of pollutants or toxic compounds:
- Carbon monoxide
- Sulfur dioxide,
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
- Nitrogen oxides
- Chlorinated hydrocarbons
- Herbicides or pesticides
- Heavy metals
- Radioactive contamination

Recycling and reuse and natural resource conservation

Use technologies or practices to reduce or eliminate the creation of waste materials as a result of operations.
Examples:
- Collecting and reusing or recycling waste
- Managing wastewater
- Composting solid waste
- Remanufacturing
Use technologies or practices in operations to conserve natural resources, excluding the use of recycled inputs in the production process.
Examples:
- Managing land resources
- Managing storm water
- Conserving soil, water, or wildlife
- Implement organic agriculture or sustainable forestry practices

Data

The GTP survey produces data on the incidence of specific green technologies and practices and on the total number of jobs in which workers spent more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices. These data are available for all industries combined at the national and Census region levels, and for NAICS industry sectors at the national level. The GTP survey also produces national occupational employment, mean wage, and median wage estimates for jobs in which workers spent more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices.

Technical Note

For more detailed information on the methodology of the GTP survey, please refer to the GTP technical note (HTML) (PDF).

Uses

Analysis of occupational employment
Analysis of occupational wages
Economic policy analysis
National and regional economic planning
Industry skill and technologies studies
Education and job training
Vocational counseling and planning

Forms of publication

News release
Supplemental table
Downloadable XLS file

Last Modified Date: June 28, 2012