Economy Now
'Green' jobs top 3 million
March 23, 2012: 7:50 AM ET
Kermit has more company lately.
There were 3.1 million green jobs in the U.S. in 2010, or about 2.4% of the nation's employment.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its first tally of jobs associated with producing green goods and services. The Obama administration has been pushing green jobs as a way to stimulate the economy and generate job growth. He's set aside billions of dollars to promote the industry, including $100 billion in the 2009 stimulus program.
BLS is classifying green jobs as those associated with producing goods or providing services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. Later this year, it will look at jobs in which workers' duties involve making their establishment's production processes more environmentally friendly.
California has the largest number of green jobs at 338,400, or 2.3% of the state's employment. Vermont had the highest share of green jobs at 4.4%.
The private sector had 2.3 million green jobs, while the public sector had 860,000.
The utilities industry -- which includes nuclear and hydroelectric power generation -- has the highest share of green jobs, at nearly 12%, while the construction industry comes in second at 6.8%. Some 5.3% of federal government jobs are green.
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Oil release: Obama and Cameron in cahoots?
The price of crude oil took a nosedive on Thursday after Reuters reported that President Obama and his British counterpart David Cameron had agreed to a release of strategic oil reserves that would take place within months.
The White House later denied that such an agreement exists, but did say that Obama and Cameron had discussed rising crude prices.
For the United States, such an agreement would mean tapping the Strategic Petroleum MORE
Charles Riley - Mar 16, 2012 10:52 AM ET -
Swing state watch: Where do gas prices hit hardest?
Two new polls from The Washington Post and The New York Times show President Obama's approval rating has dropped precipitously over the past month.
In particular, Americans are not pleased with how Obama is handling the economy.
But most economic data indicates the economy -- and especially the job market -- is actually picking up steam. So what's causing this drop?
One theory is that rising gas prices are dragging down the president's MORE
Charles Riley - Mar 13, 2012 1:38 PM ET -
Welcome to the new economy
As 2012 began, the United States was at a major crossroads. The economy was growing and the job market was improving. By more than a few measures, it appeared the recovery was finally gaining momentum.
Meanwhile, numerous threats still loom. Battered home values, global tensions and rising oil prices have kept consumers and businesses on the sidelines.
We've seen this all before. In the two-and-a-half years since the official end of the MORE
Karen McGowan - Feb 27, 2012 10:49 AM ET
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