US solar industry now employs more workers than oil and gas, says report

Growth in the solar industry was not shared equally across all types of jobs in 2015 - employees of installation companies accounted for 65% of jobs added

The US solar industry now employs more workers than oil and gas, a new report from the Solar Foundation claims, with most of the jobs in power panel installation.

Last year, the US solar industry grew by 20% for a third year in a row, according to the foundation's National Solar Job Census 2015. By the end of 2015, it employed nearly 209,000 solar workers, more than those employed in oil and gas extraction.

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