Land transport is an important sector in terms of job creation and economic development. It employs more than 60 million workers around the world, representing more than 2 percent of global employment. Total employment is even higher if one counts the indirect jobs that depend on value chains associated with the transport sector.
At the same time, because of the resources it consumes and the pollution it causes, transport also contributes to environmental degradation and to health problems. If global and local environmental objectives are to be achieved while promoting the transport sector as a source of decent work, it is essential that the pursuit of environmental sustainability should be at the heart of policy development.
This report examines the economy-wide employment implications of an accelerated shift towards greener land transport in the member states of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The analysis carried out in this report suggests that employment opportunities would indeed be opened up by the promotion of green and healthy transport in the region. Stimulating the use of public transport by doubling investment and making public transport free could create at least 2.5 million additional jobs in the transport sector worldwide. This increases to at least 5 million jobs if the wider impact on other sectors of the economy is considered. More than half of these new jobs would be in the ECE region alone.