Climate Changed
Solar Jobs Shrink Again as Trump's Tariffs Bite Industry
- Sector lost about 8,000 jobs in 2018 as uncertainty took toll
- Employment is forecast to resume growing in 2019, report says
A worker carries a solar panel during an installation in Los Angeles, California.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
This article is for subscribers only.
U.S. solar jobs fell for a second straight year as companies delayed projects in anticipation of President Donald Trump’s import tariffs. The good news: Employment is set to bounce back in 2019.
The sector lost about 8,000 jobs in 2018, a 3.2 percent drop, as uncertainty over the tariffs announced early that year slowed large-scale projects, according to a report Tuesday from the Solar Foundation. The industry, which more than doubled its workforce since 2010, now employs about 242,000 people.