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Study Finds Bay Area Green Jobs Growing At Rapid Rate

SAN JOSE (KCBS) – A new study has found that green tech jobs grew three times faster than total employment in the state of California.

And Noel Perry, the founder of Next 10 who conducted the study, said that growth is even greater in the Bay Area.

"Specifically, if you look at the percent change in jobs between 1995 and 2009, green jobs have expanded by 109 percent," Perry said. "Whereas the total job growth in the Bay Area has been 12 percent."

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

Next 10 is a nonpartisan research organization and Perry said when it comes to green jobs, Silicon Valley is ground zero.

"Silicon Valley is essentially software and hardware and when you look at clean technology and the innovation in that area, it's a combination of both hardware and software," he said. "So we really had a head start. Also with the tremendous universities and situations of higher learning in the Bay Area, it has put us far ahead."

Perry said since 1995, California's core green economy has grown by 56 percent.

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