LONDON, ENGLAND — With the worldwide boom in sustainable development and green business, the United Kingdom is projected to need another 60,000 green jobs by the end of this decade if it’s to keep up with global targets.
This was the estimation of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which published the findings in a recent white paper centred on job projections in key sectors around the world, including healthcare and sustainability.
It said its paper intended to “quantify the need for social and green jobs in 10 countries by 2030 to meet inclusion and environmental ambitions,” adding that it hoped the projections would spur major world powers to take action accordingly.
Addressing Global Challenges Through Green Jobs
“The world currently faces difficulties securing human capital, enabling social mobility and enhancing societal resilience — issues that are likely to increase with a growing and ageing global population,” the WEF noted. “Meanwhile, the climate crisis and geopolitical tensions are accelerating the shift towards greener economies and greater energy independence."
UK Urged to Increase Green Jobs
The WEF noted that all 10 of the countries studied will collectively need to introduce millions more green jobs to meet demand.
The UK specifically will have to do some heavy lifting in this regard, according to the WEF, with an estimated need to increase green jobs by some 71 per cent.
According to WEF data, there are currently some 83,400 green jobs in the region. However, the estimated need by 2030 stands just shy of 143,000.
In comparison, the United States, a major rival with the UK in the green economy sphere, is estimated to have some 346,100 green jobs and need 363,100 by 2030. This means the WEF expects the US to only need to increase its green jobs by around five per cent — a far cry from the UK’s estimated figures both in terms of the number of jobs available and the increase in jobs needed.
“South Africa, China, the United Kingdom and Brazil have the greatest unmet need for green jobs,” the WEF noted. “However, all countries will need to increase their green workforce to meet environmental objectives.”