US solar industry to create 24,000 jobs by Aug 2011 - survey

(ADPnews) - Nov 30, 2010 - Companies from the US solar power sector will create some 24,000 new jobs by August 2011, according to a survey conducted by the Solar Foundation.

In its recent report "National Solar Jobs Census 2010: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce", the non-profit organisation presented the results of a survey among over 2,400 solar company respondents from the solar value chain, including installation wholesale trade, manufacturing, etc. Over 50% of the polled solar sector employers talked about plans to raise their companies' headcount by an average of 26% on the year, which, according to the Solar Foundation, will lead to 24,000 new jobs by August. Only 2% of the polled planned job cuts.

"Employment numbers are a terrific indicator of our industry's health, and the Solar Foundation's report confirms what we already know: demand for solar technology has not slowed," commented Tyson Rohde, president and chief executive of GoSolarUSA.

As of August 2010, there were over 16,700 solar employment sites and 93,000 sector-related working positions in the US, the research organisation reports.

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