The slow emergence of green(er) jobs

24 million jobs could be created globally by 2030 through the transition to a green or low-carbon economy, according to the International Labour Organisation's "World Employment and Social Issues 2018 – A Green and Job-Creating Economy" report. This would more than compensate for the 6 million jobs lost during the same period, mainly in the fossil fuel sector.

"The transition to a zero-carbon economy will be positive for the labour market", said Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in his introduction to a conference on the post-Covid-19 labour market last summer. "New businesses will emerge, others will fail. It is essential that states do what is necessary to ensure that everyone can participate in this transition. And that means getting workers to retrain – "those with low skills are three times less likely to benefit" – and connecting jobseekers to green jobs.

For the Luxembourg Ministry of Labour and Employment, the future lies in digital skills. "The Ministry, in close collaboration with Adem, has in the recent past already developed many initiatives that aim to facilitate the transition to digital professions", it says in a written response to the Lëtzebuerger Journal. "For example, we can mention the Digital Skills Bridge or Future Digital Skills initiatives, which aim to improve the digital skills of employees or job seekers."