Solar proponents claim that a solar- and conservation-oriented economy will create vastly larger numbers of jobs than the conventional and nuclear alternatives. Comparing energy alternatives in terms of job creation potential is tenuous at best due to the paucity of analysis in this area. Ideally, both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of job creation should be compared among alternatives. Due to the relative newness of the solar and conservation industries, however, only general comparisons of the direct employment impacts among energy alternatives can be made. A tentative conclusion from recent studies is that the general direction of changes in terms of direct job creation will be toward greater employment opportunities. A review of the literature shows that for the same amount of energy, solar creates 55-80 times as many direct jobs as natural gas. For the same amount of energy, conservation measures create 26 times as many direct jobs as natural gas at about one-ninth to one-fifth the cost. For the same amount of energy, solar heating systems create 2-8 times more direct jobs than conventional powerplants. Conservation measures create direct jobs at less than one-third of the cost/job of nuclear power and will be economical in all parts of the country. (YLB)