Climate change and the workforce

Employment will continue to grow strongly as Australia responds to climate change, but bold steps are needed to re-skill the workforce, a report warns.

The emissions trading scheme and greenhouse reduction programs will not halt employment growth, according to a report by the CSIRO for the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and the Australian Conservation Foundation.

An estimated 2.5 million to 3.3 million jobs could be created over the next two decades, according to the report, Growing The Green Collar Economy.

Jobs in construction and transport will expand faster than the national average. Construction jobs will be added rapidly as demand increases for new resource-efficient buildings, infrastructure, renovations and retrofits, and the installation of new appliances.

Cleaner vehicles and transport systems will also create new jobs, compensating for losses in "dirty" industries.

But the decoupling of economic growth and environmental pressure depends on adopting well designed policies so living standards continue to rise while the national environmental footprint is reduced.
 
Information about the impact of climate change on employment needs to be gathered first.

The report cites an absence of "systematic and comprehensive data gathering" regarding the skills and knowledge required of business leaders and workers to make the shift to a low-carbon or environmentally friendly economy.

The little information available concerns jobs in renewable energy and the trades, but more needs to be understood about the impact on transport, agriculture, innovation and the "green accounting" needed to measure carbon consumption.
 
Skill shortages are already limiting consumers' ability to switch to energy-efficient alternatives. For example, a shortage of trained mechanics was experienced after a subsidy for LPG conversions was announced.

Similar problems with electricians may be restricting the take-up of solar panels, "or it may be that there are insufficient numbers of trained electricians because demand for solar panels is low".

New "green collar skills" will be needed in areas such as planning and design, plumbing, gardening, farming, fleet management and manufacturing.

The Dusseldorp Skills Forum and the ACF want Skills Australia to lead a push to understand the green skills needed for a low-carbon economy.

Published: 05 July 2008