Job Seeker Blog

Detroit Auto Show: Growth in Green Cars Could Create Green Jobs

The 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which will open to the public on January 15th, will have more than 40 new vehicles on display. According to the Huffington Post, auto sales are the highest they’ve been since 2008, and the show will have both concept cars and cars that will be sold this year.

This year, green cars are predicted to grab the spotlight – whether the models are energy efficient, hybrid, electric, or made with eco-friendly materials. The Huffington Post said that one of this year’s trends will be “fuel-efficient cars with more style and safety features”.

Inhabitat has been reporting live from the auto show with details on the latest and greatest in green cars. For example, Ford has kicked it off with a 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, which will get 100 miles to the gallon. Ford also announced that it will recycle 2 million plastic bottles for use in its Focus electric vehicle.

As indicated by this year’s green trend at the Detroit Auto Show, consumers have been warming to the idea of electric or hybrid fuel vehicles. A number of recent reports also suggest that sales of these clean vehicles will increase, which may indicate that green job opportunities in the auto industry will also grow.

The Green Car Market: Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicles

A December 8, 2011 report from Pike Research estimated that by the year 2017, hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles will represent 5.1 percent of auto sales in the United States and 3.1 percent of sales worldwide. That represents an annual growth rate of nearly 20 percent from current levels for green vehicles, said the report.

Similarly, a separate December 13th report from the research firm estimates that the number of charging stations for electric vehicles will reach 1.5 million in the U.S. and 7.7 globally by 2017 to support the rising use of electric cars.

That’s only one aspect to an increased global focus on smart transportation infrastructure, the firm reported, an effort which will comprise of $13.1 billion in worldwide investment dollars over six years.

Read Full Article

posted in: EmployerNews, Michigan, News

Detroit Outgrows Silicon Valley in Tech as Ford Lifts Hiring

As a group of Ford Motor Co. (F) managers in blue jeans sat down to interview a suit-wearing candidate from a California technology company this month, they jokingly offered to cut off his tie to put him at ease.

Auto industry executives are trying to make Silicon Valley engineers feel at home in Detroit. With a burgeoning number of technology job openings to fill, they’re scouring Internet companies for workers, wining and dining applicants, and seeking promising students at schools such as Stanford University.

“We have a whole slew of job postings out there currently,” said Doug VanDagens, director of Ford’s connected service solutions, who has been trying to lure engineers to the automaker to design software. “We’re just on a growth binge.”

Expertise in cloud computing, mobile software applications and energy management are in demand in the Motor City as automakers replace car stereos with Internet radio and gasoline engines with motors powered by lithium-ion batteries. Technology job postings in the Detroit area doubled last year, making it the fastest-expanding region in the country, according to Dice Holdings Inc. (DHX), a job-listing website.

“There’s a war for talent out there, and it’s only going to get worse,” said Jim Bazner, vice president of human capital solutions at MSX International in Southfield, Michigan, which helps automakers find specialized employees. “There are hundreds of jobs, and all the automakers are hiring.”

Read Full Article

posted in: EmployerNews, Michigan, News

Workforce Fund will help train 105 Detroiters for green jobs

The Detroit Regional Workforce Fund, which is dedicated to training low-skilled metro Detroiters for the jobs of the future, announced today a partnership investment of more than $600,000 with Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, a nonprofit that works to address environmental contamination issues faced by low-income individuals.

As a direct result of the partnership investment, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice will begin training 105 unemployed and disadvantaged Detroit residents in the skills needed to perform hazardous waste remediation.

The partnership looks to connect low-skilled and low-income Detroiters with the training needed to earn family-sustaining wages in growing green industries — a key aspect of helping disadvantaged city residents overcome poverty while meeting needs of businesses in growing industries.

Read Full Article

posted in: Michigan, News

Mid-Michigan company in green job spotlight

For the second day in a row, a Mid-Michigan company is in the spotlight for its work in creating green jobs.

For the second day in a row, a Mid-Michigan company is in the spotlight for its work in creating green jobs.

Tuesday, one of the stops Vice President Joe Biden made was at Hemlock Semiconductor in Saginaw County.

HSC has received federal and state tax credits for creating jobs in the solar industry.Read Full Article

posted in: EmployerNews, Michigan, News

Top Five Cities for Scoring Green Jobs Named

As both the environment and the economy continue to struggle, green jobs prove to be an effective method of dealing with both, especially in certain cities. The Center for American Progress recently released the top five green job cities in the nation.

As both the environment and the economy continue to struggle, green jobs prove to be an effective method of dealing with both, especially in certain cities. The Center for American Progress recently released the top five green job cities in the nation.

San Francisco comes in at first place, having been recognized as the number one producer of clean tech jobs by the Clean Edge Report. On Feb. 3, 2010, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the allocation of $19.2 million toward energy efficiency programs, funded through the San Francisco Watch Program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Mayor Newsom expressed his commitment to green jobs by stating “San Francisco’s energy-efficiency programs demonstrate how protecting the environment creates jobs and helps businesses and property owners save money.”Read Full Article

posted in: California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon

Cleaning climate creates jobs now

More than half of Americans want our nation to take strong steps to battle climate change, but seven out of eight believe attacking joblessness is more important now. Fortunately, we can have our cake and eat it, too: Create millions of jobs by replacing carbon-emitting electricity generation with conventional clean alternatives.

More than half of Americans want our nation to take strong steps to battle climate change, but seven out of eight believe attacking joblessness is more important now. Fortunately, we can have our cake and eat it, too: Create millions of jobs by replacing carbon-emitting electricity generation with conventional clean alternatives.

In no state is the prospect of green jobs more important than in Michigan. But the alternative energy industry in Michigan is in reverse gear, despite heroic efforts by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and others to nurture clean energy development.Read Full Article

posted in: Michigan, News

Switching Gears, New Careers

Students discuss their opinions on Michigan’s goal to focus on the creation of green jobs. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has announced plans to make the state a center for green manufacturing, which could affect students entering the job force.

Students discuss their opinions on Michigan’s goal to focus on the creation of green jobs. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has announced plans to make the state a center for green manufacturing, which could affect students entering the job force.Read Full Article

posted in: Michigan, News

Solar power company plans facility in Michigan

The state of Michigan is expected to gain about 500 new jobs in light of a solar power company’s recent decision to locate a manufacturing facility there.

The state of Michigan is expected to gain about 500 new jobs in light of a solar power company’s recent decision to locate a manufacturing facility there.

An announcement from Governor Jennifer Granholm says that Suniva, a Georgia company, will invest $250 million in the planned facility, to be located in Thomas Township in Saginaw County. The project is expected to result in about 500 new jobs over the next five years.

The project is said to be contingent on receiving a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy.Read Full Article

posted in: Michigan, News

Michigan so far proving competitive in green jobs race, but green-collar jobs may be slow to materia

Green jobs are increasingly taking center stage in a state starved for jobs, and Michigan so far appears to be riding ahead of the curve in an intense and globally competitive race.

Green jobs are increasingly taking center stage in a state starved for jobs, and Michigan so far appears to be riding ahead of the curve in an intense and globally competitive race.

Michigan in recent weeks has celebrated the news that renewable energy firms Xtreme Power and Clairvoyant Energy will use the vacant Ford Wixom plant to manufacture stationary battery systems and solar panels, and that Suniva wants to build a $250 million solar energy plant in Saginaw County that would employ 500 workers. Gov. Jennifer Granholm also signed onto a pair of accords with her Midwestern Governors Association colleagues last week that aim to make the region the epicenter of the U.S.‘s clean energy economy and create jobs.

Yet a recent MarketWatch story indicates that the high-tech green-collar jobs requiring advanced degrees and education so far have been slow to materialize in the U.S.Read Full Article

posted in: Michigan, News

Michigan news: 10 governors unite to attract green energy jobs

It’s hard to avoid competition when states are all trying to attract business, but Midwestern governors agreed Wednesday on initiatives that could strengthen all their states.

It’s hard to avoid competition when states are all trying to attract business, but Midwestern governors agreed Wednesday on initiatives that could strengthen all their states.

Advertisement

At the end of the Midwestern Governors Association Jobs and Energy Forum in Detroit, the 10 governors signed an agreement to work together to attract green energy jobs to the region.

Working toward that goal would mean supporting efforts to upgrade the electric grid to accommodate renewable energy and develop transmission systems for biofuels.Read Full Article

posted in: Michigan, National, News

Who's Hiring

Sponsors

Find Eco Jobs In:

Phoenix • Tucson • Palm Springs • Sacramento • San Diego • San Francisco • San Jose • Denver • Jacksonville • Miami • Orlando • Tampa • Atlanta • Chicago • Indianapolis • Kansas City • Louisville • New Orleans • Boston • Baltimore • Detroit • Grand Rapids • Minneapolis • Charlotte • Raleigh • Omaha • Atlantic City • Las Vegas • Reno • Buffalo • New York City • Cincinnati • Cleveland • Toledo • Tulsa • Portland • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • Myrtle Beach • Memphis • Nashville • Austin • Dallas • Houston • San Antonio • Salt Lake City • Richmond • Seattle • Spokane