Green jobs
Successes and opportunities for Europe
Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic, the current energy and cost of living crisis, and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine have tested the resilience of global economies, proactive labour market planning and investments for transition must take into account that humans, unlike financial capital or goods, cannot simply flow to where the opportunities are.
A green EU industrial policy could become the driver for job creation in Europe in the years ahead, in emerging and existing sectors, including in clean energy technology manufacturing, where the number of global jobs could more than double from 6 million today to nearly 14 million by 2030. 25 million new green jobs would be created by 2030 in the context of the energy transition, with 160 000 jobs in the EU construction sector alone through the anticipated building renovation wave.
At the same time, the climate and environmental crisis is an increasingly serious concern. Scientists are more certain than ever that human activity is changing our climate and are stressing the risks of failing to take actions to stop the rot. Meanwhile, economists are warning us that the longer we wait before taking action, the greater the costs. But there is a way out: by ‘greening’ our economies, we can create high-quality green jobs to fight unemployment and at the same time combat climate change and environmental decline.
The EU can only benefit from such efforts. Remaining a ‘green leader’ would allow the EU to reduce its dependency on imported energy and resources purchased at volatile prices, and boost Europe’s security of supply. If we can ensure the strong involvement of social partners, establish targeted training and education programmes and implement ambitious, stable policies designed to foster innovation and green investment, millions of sustainable high-quality green jobs can be created, with many of them in local small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe.
This brochure has been designed to inform you about Europe’s opportunities for creating green jobs and the efforts of the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament to boost green employment.
