A global shift to clean energy will require a huge workforce with new skills, making investments in training and human capital essential to ensure a “just transition” where no workers are left behind.
About 25 million jobs are expected to be created from the energy transition by 2030, but seven million jobs will be lost, experts told media on the sidelines of Cop28 in Dubai.
“The transition to renewable energy potentially gives rise to more job opportunities, but we need to re-train and upskill people and this doesn’t happen automatically,” said Olga Strietska-Ilina, the International Labour Organisation’s area lead on skills strategy for future labour markets.
At the climate summit, more than 100 countries have signed the Global Renewables And Energy Efficiency Pledge. The countries will commit to work together to triple the world’s current renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts by 2030.
Governments and industries should collaborate to develop curriculums and technical and vocational training programmes for workers to help transform industries, Ms Strietska-Ilina said.
Also crucial are social protection measures such as minimum wages and inclusive policies that ensure women are not left behind in the energy transition.
“You need efficient labour market institutions so that the person can go and receive career guidance on where to re-train, for what jobs to retrain and that the person is actually covered by social protection,” she said.
“If you lose your job today and want to re-train for another job, you need to make sure that you have some minimum income. This is why we speak about a just transition.”
A just transition for workers would feature a comprehensive policy package, she said. That includes skills development, pro-employment macroeconomic policies, occupational and safety regulations, workplace rights and industrial policies such as renewable energy implementation.
“You need, of course, social dialogue because you need to understand what the stakes are for businesses, trade unions and workers and how to make sure that no one is left behind in this transition,” she said.
ILO figures suggest that the greatest impact of the transition will be on male-dominated, medium-skill occupations and that current occupational gender gaps are likely to persist.
Women will get only a fraction of the jobs created, unless adequate measures are taken to train them in relevant skills, so that they can benefit from new jobs.
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