What is Green Collar Workforce and Green Jobs

If you have seen Charlie Chaplin movies of the early 20th century, like Modern Times, it gave us a glimpse into the life of an average person of that time.

Actors, including Charlie Chaplin, were shown performing as factory workers engaged in mundane tasks on machines. Keeping Charlie’s eccentrics, satire, and touches of humour aside, the movies showed the rise of industrialisation that enabled countries to achieve economic prosperity. 

The category of workers that was playing a huge part in this growth story was given the term ‘blue-collar workers’. The segment represented workers across sectors such as manufacturing, mining, power generation, construction, and transportation. 

With advancements in technology in the latter part of the 20th century, a new category of the workforce emerged, which worked in office settings and was termed ‘white-collar workers’. Over time, more categories of workers were added, such as pink-collared (sales, customer relations, etc.) and grey-collared.

As we all know, rapid industrialisation and commercial activities have led to global warming. Climate extremes are not only putting people at risk but also slowing economic growth and reducing productivity. Therefore, it is imperative that this problem be addressed urgently and decisively.

This would require innovative solutions and a large number of workers equipped with the required skills. This presents unique opportunities and a new workforce category, which can be termed ‘green-collar workers’. 

Green-collar workers will be responsible for performing ‘green jobs’ that will play a key role as countries and businesses transition to net-zero emissions. 

Green Collar Workforce will hold the key to a Sustainable Planet

As the global economy decarbonises, all businesses will need to revise their designs, policies, and frameworks to adapt to climate challenges.

Moreover, certain industries will face a little more heat than others. Take, for example, agriculture: given the challenges of droughts, floods, and water scarcity, industry stakeholders will need climate-resilient farming techniques such as organic farming and sustainable agriculture. 

The other industry set to be disrupted is power generation, as the world transitions to renewable and non-fossil fuel-based energy sources. The existing workforce faces serious risks of being out of work if they don’t acquire new skills.

According to a Deloitte report, more than 800 million jobs across the globe, which represent about 25 per cent of the global workforce, are vulnerable to climate extremes and economic transition impacts.

The report cites agriculture, transport, construction, conventional energy, and heavy industry and manufacturing as the sectors most impacted.

This brings us to the positive part of the story: per Deloitte analysis, more than 300 million additional jobs globally can be created by 2050 if the decarbonization opportunity is well managed by industry and policymakers.

According to the International Labour Organisation, “The green transition can generate millions of jobs, but these are conditional on the availability of relevant skills and training.”

The Green Collar workforce is not only needed for emerging sectors like renewables; to achieve a net-zero world, existing workers from other sectors also need to be reskilled and trained.

Their knowledge and experience will be extremely valuable as the economy navigates the catastrophic impacts of climate change and transitions to a sustainable future.

Workers across sectors must expand on their previous roles and reskill for a green economy. Therefore, it is more about existing blue-collar and white-collar employees equipping themselves with knowledge about green technologies and sustainable alternatives. 

For example, a fossil-fuel automobile worker can switch to a sustainable mobility company, a wheat farmer can look to grow millets, and an accountant can also learn carbon accounting, among many other similar transitions. 

In addition, a green collar workforce will be needed for the emerging green sectors such as solar, hydrogen, carbon capture, biofuels, plastic alternatives, and meat alternatives, among others, which will require corresponding courses and certifications from educational institutions.

Then again, many jobs necessary for an inclusive green economy do not yet exist, but can be created by green entrepreneurs and startups that work in emerging technologies. 

To access green jobs, workers will need to start learning the basics of climate change and gradually build the specialised skills needed for their roles. 

The upskilling can be achieved through a short course in climate education and further enhanced through a specialised course, which can be financed by the government or the private sector. 

The Government will also need to devise integrated strategies encompassing public policies in education, skill development, and labour standards to ensure green jobs are safe, provide fair compensation, and offer opportunities for career progression. 

Finally, to ensure a greener future, the new green collar workforce will play a critical role.