Foreword

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events caused by climate change calls for a significant acceleration in the transition towards greener economies and societies. Climate protection efforts and steps to reduce the carbon footprint of the economy have an important impact on labour markets, including on where jobs will be created and lost and the skills that will be in demand. Skills gaps and shortages are already recognised as major bottlenecks in a number of green sectors, which risks constraining innovation and technology adoption. Policy makers can facilitate the shift towards a more sustainable economy through targeted policies on skills, helping workers transition to new industries and fostering investment in skills that are required in sectors with high growth potential. Effective policy action in this area requires better information on the types of skills crucial for the green transition, and the occupations and sectors where these skills are needed.

To shed light on this still unexplored issue, this report sets out to identify effective strategies for turning qualitative and quantitative information on skill needs emerging from the transition to a green economy into relevant policy action. Based on a comparative assessment of the practices in five OECD countries (Australia, Austria, France, Norway and Sweden) as well as in other selected countries, this report explores methodological and governance innovations in carrying out skills assessment and anticipation (SAA) for the green transition as well as the results of these exercises and the challenges involved. Furthermore, the report examines the use of SAA information to guide policy development in the areas of employment, career guidance, adult training, formal education, industrial policies and migration.

This report was prepared by Michele Tuccio (project lead), Dzana Topalovic and Magdalena Burtscher from the Skills and Employability Division of the Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs. Kyungmin Noh, Annelore Verhagen and Nelly Wladis provided important inputs. The work was carried out under the supervision of Glenda Quintini (Manager of the Skills Team) and Mark Keese (Head of the Skills and Employability Division). The research team is grateful to Dan Grannas (Swedish Ministry of Employment), Cécile Jolly (France Stratégie), Hege Medin (Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills), Robert Titelbach (Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy), and Sebastian Westley (Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations) for their help in co-ordinating consultations and data gathering, as well as to the numerous stakeholders who have provided valuable information on the systems in place in their respective countries.

This report is published under the responsibility of the Secretary General of the OECD, with the financial assistance of Australia, Austria, France, Norway and Sweden. The views expressed in this report should not be taken to reflect the official position of OECD member countries.