A recent report from the University of Oxford found that transitioning to a net zero economy could be worth at least $12 trillion by 2050. A big part of this is the green jobs that could be created, but a recent report from RAND Europe questions whether disadvantaged groups are being brought along on this journey and capitalizing on the green job opportunities. These left-behind communities include ethnic minorities and those with few qualifications.
“Green employment could be a major stepping stone in the financial empowerment of individuals, and green skills development could offer career prospects for people with low qualifications and other disadvantaged groups, such as those from ethnic minorities,” the researchers explain. “Their sustainable employment would have rippling effects for wider society and environment – both helping to reduce inequalities and to address the major challenges of climate change.”
Green economy
The report highlights the growing calls for a so-called “green economy”, with various countries establishing targets and action plans to deliver it. For instance, the UK aims to create 250,000 green jobs by 2030.
The authors highlight that there are currently around 2.5 million jobs in the so-called environmental economy across the UK, Italy, Germany, France, and Spain. After analyzing these jobs, however, the researchers found that less than 33,000 of them were truly “green”.
What’s more, less than half of the jobs would be available to people with low- to medium-level qualifications. This suggests that a postgraduate qualification is typically required, and such qualifications are overrepresented across the green economy at the moment.
Frozen out
This is at a time when many lower-qualified individuals are frozen out of well-paid jobs, thus undermining attempts to improve social mobility and reduce geographic inequality. Indeed, the researchers highlight that opportunities for people with low qualifications are on the decline across each of the five countries.
They believe that various apprenticeships and vocational education pathways should be developed to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds access jobs in the sector.
“There is room for creating a platform to bring different groups together and to ignite the change at the local level,” the researchers continue. “Multi-stakeholder partnerships could be formed to work to scale up the financing, policies and leadership needed to effectively support people with low qualifications into green jobs. But strong local leadership of such initiatives are needed to make the most of these opportunities.”
As the green economy grows, equal access to jobs and employment opportunities is crucial to ensuring that society works for everyone. It’s clear that work is needed to ensure that happens.
