Click here to subscribe to the Green Career Tip of the Week Podcast:

To listen to this Tip of the Week, click on the player below, or download the mp3.

As you research the green economy or your target industry, you will no doubt run across reports that provide information about how many jobs currently exist or are anticipated in the future.

Although it's easy to take these reports at face value, it's important to read the report carefully to understand how the report was developed and which green jobs are included. Use the following questions to gain a more in depth assessment of the results.

Beware: If you are comparing green job numbers it's important to remember you are likely to be comparing apples, oranges, and pomegranates! Unless the reports were created in exactly the same way, it's going to be difficult to compare the numbers.

Defining the Term "Green Jobs"

At this time there is no agreed upon definition of what is and isn't a green job. There are a few common themes to pay attention to as you read the report.

Can you tell if the authors of the report are focusing primarily on green collar jobs, while other reports take a broader view to include a full range of jobs from the trades to professional jobs? If the report doesn't spell it out in detail, contact the authors to learn exactly which jobs are included in the reported numbers.

Can you determine which industries are included in the green job count? As you do a quick read through a report, it's easy to assume that your target industry is included. Before you make any conclusions about your future green career, confirm that your target industry is in fact a part of the report.

One Caveat: It's quite likely the green career report is focusing on jobs that are completely green -- think of a job in renewable energy generation. The jobs that are nearly impossible to capture in the stats are the jobs that have an indirect impact on the environment, or those that are existing jobs that are becoming greener in this new economy. Some of these jobs are in start up companies, while others are in large multi-national companies. Government job codes haven't caught up to the green economy yet, so it's difficult to track green jobs over the years. A lot of assumptions need to be made to determine which job codes are to be included or excluded from green job reports that compare current green job counts with previous years.

Questions to Evaluate as You Review Green Job Numbers

What geographic area is included in the report? Clearly the numbers are going to be different if the report is based on a county or region, versus the entire country. If you are comparing reports, be sure to factor this detail into your analysis.

Are they reporting on existing jobs, new jobs, or both? Depending on the purpose of a particular report, you may discover a range of results if one report is summarizing existing jobs and another is only counting new jobs.

Job projections over a particular time frame? Another defining feature to assess is whether the report is projecting job growth in the future. Be sure you are clear about the time frame referred to in the report.

When were the data collected? Regardless of whether the report provides a count of existing jobs, or a forecast of expected jobs, read the fine print to understand how the conclusions were made.

How mature are the industries included? As you evaluate the number, consider how established the industry is. Early on, an industry will not employ as many people as later on. Watch the trends over time to assess how an industry is developing.

Other Signs of Growth in the Green Economy

Green job reports are not the only, or even the best, way to assess the state of the green economy. Definitions are not clear enough, nor will they be for some time.

Be sure to watch for other signs of growth, including:

• Investment trends -- in your industry and your region.
  
• Funding trends -- in your industry and your region. (Plug your zip code into the map on www.recovery.gov to discover where funding is going in your area.)
  
• Green initiatives -- in your state and your region.
  
• New green policies -- in the nation, state, and region.
  
• Announcements of new technology advancements -- in your industry.

Remember we are in the early stages of the green economy. Only 25% of the stimulus funds have been distributed. Money will continue to be distributed through 2012.

To understand how the green economy in general, and your target industry in particular, are evolving, track key blogs and newsletters for the latest news. Read green jobs reports that are relevant to your future career, but don't jump to conclusions about the state of your target industry from this source alone.

Copyright © 2009 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.