The green transition is changing jobs, skills, and local economies. It poses new challenges but also opportunities, both of which will differ across places within countries. This report, Job Creation and Local Economic Development 2023: Bridging the Great Green Divide, provides novel evidence on those risks and opportunities across regions in 30 OECD countries. It examines the geography of green-task and polluting jobs and examines the impact of the green transition on gender and socioeconomic inequality by identifying the characteristics of workers in those jobs. Furthermore, the report tracks the progress regions have made in greening their labour market over the past decade. The report provides actionable policy recommendations that can help deliver a green and just transition. It looks at past and other ongoing labour market transitions and identifies local success drivers that can help communities prepare for and manage the impact of the green transition. Finally, it points out actions for ramping up and adapting local skills development systems to meet the demands of the green transition and equip their workforce with the right skills for the future.
Across the OECD, green policies abound
European Green Deal, the US Inflation Reduction Act etc.
Clear ramifications for jobs and economic development
But labour market impact less clear
Who will benefit or face risks?
Where will be the impact largest?
What is a green job?
Across the OECD, green policies abound
European Green Deal, the US Inflation Reduction Act etc.
Clear ramifications for jobs and economic development
But labour market impact less clear
Who will benefit or face risks?
Where will be the impact largest?
What is a green job?
Why is this new?
Green jobs can be classified in different ways
Top-down: classifying sectors as green
Bottom-up: identifying green based on tasks and skills of occupations
Our approach is bottom-up:
Green-task jobs: with a significant share of green tasks (>10%)
Completely novel: subnational data for around 30 OECD countries
Main advantages:
Regional information
Captures the entire economy
Directly linked to policy: occupations -> tasks -> skills -> training
Most jobs are neither green or polluting in terms of tasks
Keeping old chart for country coverage
Women are underrepresented
in green-task jobs (28%).
In all regions in Europe and Australia women constitute less than 50% of the ‘green workforce’.
Men make up the majority of workers
in polluting jobs (>80%).
Governance, collaboration, labour market (retraining, reskilling), in conjucntion with local dev efforts
2) New evidence
3) Look to the past (globalisation, coal, digitalisation)
4) Way forward
Across the OECD, green policies abound
European Green Deal, the US Inflation Reduction Act etc.
Clear ramifications for jobs and economic development
But labour market impact less clear
Who will benefit or face risks?
Where will be the impact largest?
What is a green job?
GREEN TRANSITION IS POLICY-DRIVEN: MAIN DIFFERENCE
Uneven effects geographical
Large adjustement costs
Concentrated might cause resentment
Governance, collaboration, labour market (retraining, reskilling), in conjucntion with local dev efforts