Skills for a Green Recovery

The European Green Deal and the investments and reforms aimed at greening the European economy that are being undertaken in the context of the Recovery from the Covid pandemic are already starting to change the nature of employment across the continent. According to one estimate, the European Green Deal will create 2.3 million additional jobs in sectors like recycling, building renovations and renewable energy. At the same time, the European Green Deal might put up to 11 million jobs in extractive and energy-intensive sectors at risk. Such aggregate numbers hide, however, that job impacts will vary significantly across sectors and regions. Moreover, numbers on the net employment effects do not consider that workers might have to move from one sector to another and that the nature of work within one sector might change significantly in the context of the green transition.

To unpack these complex challenges and go deeper into the nature of the changes in employment, this policy breakfast focussed on the issue of green skills in particular and the need to ensure a just transition that creates and preserves quality employment more generally. Participants discussed, amongst others, how EU initiatives related to vocational training can ensure that workers in different sectors can actively contribute to the green transition. In addition, the policy breakfast adressed how workers and their representatives can be involved in policies that govern the implementation of the European Green Deal on skills and employment matters.

About the Employment Policy Breakfast Series – The employment We Want

In this series of policy breakfast meetings, European experts and policy-makers will be presenting potential policy solutions to tackle diverse aspects pertaining to employment. Discussants were invited to comment on the current state of play and policy development, and then the floor was open for interactions from the audience to challenge and strengthen the proposals.

Labour markets are changing and we need a very diligent public sector to avoid the quality and quantity of jobs being compromised further.
What are the initiatives that can be taken? There are plenty!
In this Policy Breakfast Series on “The Employment We Want” we focus on four policies that could help shape a European employment agenda in the near future:

• An EU initiative for Zero Unemployment Territories – 8 September 
• Workers Data Rights – 13 September 
• Skills for a Green Recovery – 15 September 
• Pay Transparency and Gender Equality – 20 September