Source: https://voices.ilo.org/podcast/green-jobs-a-solution-to-youth-employment-and-the-climate-crisis
Green jobs can help tackle the climate crisis and the labour market challenges faced by young people. What exactly are green jobs? And what can young people do to create a sustainable future for themselves?
These questions have been answered by an ILO podcast featuring two young people from a trade union and an employers’ organization, as well as a Junior Professional Officer working at the Green Jobs unit of the ILO.
What are green jobs?
Green jobs are the jobs that preserve or restore the environment, and may replace jobs that are lost as societies transition to greener economies. They include jobs in clean and renewable energy, construction, sustainable agriculture, recycling and waste management. They have the potential to create 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2030.
What can young people do to ensure a sustainable future for themselves?
The guests mention that the youth are the biggest stakeholders in this whole climate change agenda, and they have everything to lose as well as gain from the topic. From an employment perspective, the youth are a marginalised group already since their employment has not bounced back after the COVID pandemic. They are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. In a nutshell, the youth are at a disadvantaged position in the labour market.
Further, the guests mention that in the transition towards green economy, the search for employment has become very difficult for the youth. The underlying reason is that they are not well-prepared and lack knowledge and skills to participate in the green economy. The problem is further compounded when they belong to marginalised communities. Thus, they are at the interface of unemployment and a changing world of work.
The solution, according to ILO, lies in devising policies that are suited to the needs of young people, and arrived at by including the voices of the young people of various nations. The role of employers and policymakers is vital to protect the interests of the youth and create a sustainable future.
Another thing that the guests hint at is expanding the scope of what is understood as green jobs. Usually, a green job is one that produces a product or service that is green. But they advocate for including those jobs as well that green a process. The latter category of jobs is often overlooked. ILO stresses on the fact that in future, decent job is not only that pays more, but one that leads to sustainable development and improves the health of everyone.
What are the possible solutions?
Additionally, there is also a focus given to knowledge and skill acquisition for the young people so as to enable them to access the green jobs market. Employers and institutions are expected to provide the necessary training and education to those young people who are just entering the market. Further, the quality of jobs also needs to be taken care of to ensure social protection for workers.
The Green Jobs for Youth Pact aims at combining all these concerns and creating one million green jobs for young people, as well as greening one million existing jobs. It also deals with the upskilling and reskilling of employees and young people to that end.
ILO talks about green entrepreneurship as one of the possible solutions, which will not only lead to self-employment but also job creation for others. Thus, the three green E’s are the way forward, i.e., (i) green entrepreneurship, (ii) education and skills for green jobs and (iii) youth empowerment and engagement.
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