Browse Research

This study analyses the employment impacts of different plans for expanding electricity generation in South Africa’s power sector. It presents the resulting employment effects within the electricity sector, primarily focusing on coal and renewable energy sources.

This report focuses on the challenges and opportunities faced by developing countries that are related to the Paris Agreement. It reviews the experience of the Global Green Growth Institute's (GGGI's) member countries in the development of national green growth plans, NDC action plans and roadmaps, and the low-emission development strategy for a small island developing nation. It then evaluates experience related to the implementation and financing of such green growth plans in a number of high-priority areas, including the renewable energy transition, electrification of transportation, green buildings and infrastructure, and green employment.

This report provides an overview of global and regional trends in employment, unemployment, labour force participation, productivity, as well as employment status, informal employment and working poverty. It also examines income and social developments, and provides an indicator of social unrest.

A key finding is that poor job quality is a prime concern for the most of the global labour force. In addition, unemployment and labour underutilization remain high in many countries, despite improvements in recent years. 

The report also takes stock of progress with respect to targets for Sustainable Development Goal 8, which has been slower than anticipated.

Renewable energy has advanced rapidly in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries since 2014. The project pipeline reached almost 7 gigawatts (GW) of new power generation capacity by 2018, after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made record-breaking bids in renewable energy auctions and Saudi Arabia made solar power cost-competitive with conventional energy technologies. Abundant resources, together with strong enabling frameworks, have led to solar PV prices of below USD 0.03 per kilowatt hour and dispatchable concentrated solar power (CSP) of USD 0.07 per kilowatt hour, which is less than some utilities in the region pay for natural gas.

This policy brief addresses the main challenges of the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. It outlines how the just transition can work in practice and what trade unions and workers’ organizations can do to support the achievement of global climate and sustainable development goals.