Solar industry jobs up 13 percent from 2011

Politico

Some solar power companies may be struggling to keep their doors open, but a new report issued Friday shows the nascent industry is adding jobs at a brisk pace.

U.S. solar companies employ 119,016 people, up 13.2 percent from a year ago, according to an industry census conducted by the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports the industry.

The figures run counter to a stream of negative news stories about failed solar companies.

Many of those headline-grabbing layoffs, however, happened at solar manufacturers. The Solar Foundation isn’t yet ready to say how the industry breaks down now, but in its 2011 report manufacturing made up just 13.8 percent of U.S. jobs.