Those looking for engineering jobs in the US may wish to turn to the green sector in California, as the rise in employment opportunities there has been faster than for the labor market as a whole.

A report by public policy group Next 10 found the green jobs sector grew by three per cent between 2008 and 2009, whereas by comparison the number of employment positions only rose by one per cent overall.

However, those who do go for such work opportunities may note the total is not as high as they may wish, as, despite its growth, the green sector still only accounts for 0.9 per cent of the state's workforce.

Even so, the situation is still a promising one, according to Next 10 founder Noel Perry.

He said: "While green job numbers are modest relative to the overall economy, there are very few business sectors in a state as large as California that employ people across every region."

The US economy is seeing a fall in unemployment at the moment as it recovers from the recent recession, with December 2010 witnessing the jobless rate dropping by 556,000 to 14.5 million.

Posted by Fiona Summers