Insights
Green jobs are decent jobs that contribute to environmental sustainability, either through employment in the production of green goods or services or through employment that utilises environmentally friendly production practices. As such, green jobs can be found both in traditional sectors, such as manufacturing and construction, and in emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Although the transition to a green economy will disrupt current employment patterns and cause considerable job loss in certain industries, the overall transition is expected to generate up to 60 million new jobs globally, lifting tens of millions of workers out of poverty (ILO, 2012). In particular, eight sectors are expected to be impacted most strongly through the transition to a green economy: agriculture, forestry, fishing, energy, manufacturing, recycling, buildings and transport.
Relevance to the SDGs
Sustainable Development Goal 8 calls for the creation of decent jobs and productive employment for men and women and developing strategies for youth employment. This also includes providing a safe and secure work environment and improved education and training.
The transition to a green economy naturally changes the employment market, with the International Labour Organization finding that the shift to a green economy will result in 0.5-2% in employment gains, translating into 15-60 million additional jobs globally. Likewise, IRENA studies have found that jobs in the renewable energy industry alone are growing by over 5% per year.
There will, however, be certain economic sectors that will likely see a reduction in their workforce as a result from this transition. Retraining and learning ‘green’ skills would make employees and employers alike more competitive and adaptive to this economic shift and is therefore crucial for businesses. Online courses and training exist to assist employees and businesses adapt their skills.
Research
Case Studies
Projects
Batumi Initiative on Green Economy (BIG-E)
