Green Economy Growing Pains

The transition to a green economy is expected to create plenty of new employment opportunities. Unfortunately, filling them will be far more challenging than most employers think. Accenture’s research on the future of the green economy in the Asia Pacific region shows strong employment growth potential. But the research also identified a significant disconnect between youthful demand for “green” employment and where most green job growth is taking place. The sectors not known for sustainability are driving most green job creation. Training and salary expectations also don’t match the emerging opportunities, since the majority of green jobs will not require advanced qualifications, nor command relatively higher salaries. To understand the green jobs landscape in the region the authors targeted, they identified four pathways to reducing greenhouse gas emissions: transitioning transport, supplying low-carbon electricity, decarbonizing the built environment, and greening agriculture and land use. The results showed that transitioning transport had the greatest jobs potential. By breaking down the jobs created across the four pathways into specific industries, the authors found that up to 76 per cent of the 32.6 million new jobs would be in construction (18.1 million) and manufacturing (6.7 million). Tech-intensive roles requiring a highly trained workforce will undoubtedly be part of the equation. However, relatively better paying jobs will be the minority, accounting for less than 8 per cent of the total jobs potential in the Asia Pacific region.