Tracking Local Employment in the Green Economy: The PCAN Just Transition Jobs Tracker

Building the infrastructure and skills for the transition to net-zero in the UK requires significant public and private investment to kick-start the economy in the wake of COVID-19. But how do we ensure jobs are protected, as industries move away from relying on fossil fuels? And where, both geographically and by sector, are these investments most needed?

To help policymakers at both the national and local level target their efforts, our team at the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) has launched the Just Transition Jobs Tracker. This tool, developed as part of recent work on how to mobilise finance for a just transition, estimates how employment will be affected by the transition to a green economy.

The tool provides data for jobs based in a large number of UK geographies (including local authority, parliamentary constituency, local enterprise partnership and combined authority areas). In particular, it highlights:

• Jobs requiring upskilling: These are existing jobs that require significant changes in skills and knowledge. These include specialised jobs in the manufacturing and extractive sectors, such as petroleum engineers and heavy equipment operators, whose skills need to be adapted to a net-zero economy.

• Jobs in demand: These are existing jobs that are expected to be in high demand due to their important role in the net-zero economy. These include specialised positions in the green economy, such as wind turbine installers, but also the skills and expertise of welders, builders and engineers already working to build the infrastructure of a green economy.

The results, based on the UK jobs market in 2019, provide insights on the priority sectors for just-transition planning, as well as the importance of taking proactive action locally. It is vital that we urgently prepare for the changes in jobs and skills the climate crisis demands. This will help us to ensure that nobody is left behind, and that as many people as possible are ready to get to work in the high demand jobs created by a green economy.

If handled effectively, transitioning to a green economy has the potential to lead to more jobs being available for workers.

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