The world leader in clean energy investment is now China, as the country overtook the US in this field in 2009.

According to a study released by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the nation is ahead of other G-20 members in terms of financing green power projects and has created thousands of new positions, many of them engineering jobs in China, as a result.

Overall, the global clean energy economy has grown "remarkably" during the last five years, generating more employment opportunities in the sector.

For example, China invested $34.6 billion in such industries during 2009, compared with a total of $18.6 billion for the US, with particularly strong expansion of markets in Turkey, Brazil, the UK and Italy.

The report, Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race? Growth, Competition and Opportunity in the World's Largest Economies, reveals investment in clean energy worldwide has grown 230 per cent since 2005 to reach $162 billion in 2009.

"Countries … know that investing in clean energy can renew manufacturing bases and create export opportunities, jobs and businesses," director of the Pew Environment Group's global warming campaign Phyllis Cuttino stated.

The news may be of interest to Chinese graduates after the Global Times reported a survey by MyCOS found 27 per cent are concerned that their current job is not assisting them in furthering their career.