Michigan firms are creating jobs, and state stands ready to attract more

Michigan firms are creating jobs, and state stands ready to attract more(By Andy Levin via Freep.com)These days, the news is full of talk about green jobs. Here in Michigan,

where we have lost thousands of good-paying jobs, the potential to leverage

our water, wind, solar and advanced-manufacturing resources to create jobs

makes the discussion about green jobsall the more exciting. But how many

green jobs actually exist? How can we create more?We've started to answer these questions with the release of the Michigan

Green Jobs Report, the first empirical study of the green economy in

Michigan. The results were impressive and represent a baseline to track

future growth and change in Michigan's green economy.Michigan currently has 109,067 private-sector green jobs, including 96,767

direct jobs and 12,300 support jobs. Already, green jobs make up 3% of

private-sector employment.Clean transportation and fuels is the largest green economy sector in

Michigan, with just over 40% of green jobs. This is probably unique among

the 50 states and reflects both our automotive heritage and a potential

center of growth as hybrid and electric vehicles and advanced batteries

develop.While the report did not attempt to project green job growth, it suggests

there is huge potential for expansion.From 2005 to 2008, a sample of 358 green-related firms added more than

2,500 jobs. They grew by 7.7% at a time when Michigan's overall

private-sector employment shrank 5.4%.Among renewable energy firms in this sample, the growth rate hit 30%.

Renewable energy production, which today is Michigan's smallest green

sector, may be the fastest growing.There's more good news: The green economy appears to be a hotbed of

entrepreneurial activity. Among the sample of 358 green-related firms, more

than 70 appeared to be newly created since 2005, accounting for nearly 600

new jobs.What is more, green jobs tend to pay well. Thirteen of the top 15 sectors

of green employment boast average weekly wages above Michigan's overall

private sector average, several of them far above. And green jobs encompass

a wide range of occupations and skill levels.For the latest green jobs in Michigan and across the US and globe please

click here