So-called “green” jobs account for 3 percent of employment in Oregon and pay an average of about $15 an hour, says a new state report. An uncritical look at the report that appears to be excerpts from it rather than an actual news report ran in the Statesman-Journal in Salem. The report by the state’s Workforce & Economic Research Division defined green jobs as those that increase energy efficiency or produce renewable energy; prevent, reduce or mitigate environmental damage; clean up the environment; or provide support to workers in those categories. The top “green” jobs make one wonder about the rankings – carpenters, farmworkers, truck drivers, hazardous materials removal workers, and landscaping and groundskeeping workers. As for what constitutes a green job, “We realize our definition is broad,” the report’s authors wrote.
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