Green growth can affect labour markets by facilitating transitions that cause shifts in the volume, composition and quality of employment across sectors, as well as affecting the level and distribution of income, acting head of Green Economy Advisory Services at the United Nations Environment Programme Moustapha Kamal Gueye stated at a green jobs summit held in Midrand, Gauteng, last month.

He pointed out that, globally, 202-million people were unemployed in 2013 – five-million more than in 2012 – and that global unemployment is set to worsen by over 215-million people by 2018, with the youth unemployment rate of 74.5-million reaching a historical peak – almost three times as high as the adult unemployment rate.

“More and better jobs can be achieved; however, such gains are not achieved by default, but by design. Policies are needed to stimulate job creation as an objective rather than an automatic result of growth and to ensure that jobs created are productive and meet ‘decent work’ criteria. This includes addressing issues specific to the informal sector and advancing social inclusion with dedicated social protection policies such as skills development and the upgrading and retraining of workers,” he said.

He pointed out that greening is a marginal fac- tor in the cause of declining employment in indus-tries such as mining, fossil-fuel-based energy sec-tors and the iron and steel sectors, which have been increasing automation and raising labour productivity.

“Some 70 000 South African power sector jobs were lost between 1980 and 2000, the same time as electricity generation increased by more than 60%,” he said, adding that the resource-intensive development model will lead to rising costs, loss of productivity and disruption of economic activity.

Gueye noted that Mauritius’ Sustainable Island initiative is aimed at providing 10% more green jobs by 2020, while Namibia’s National Employ-ment Policy includes framework-specific provi-sions on sustainable development, greening the economy and green jobs.

“Senegal’s National Strategy for Economic and Social Development includes the specific objectives of promoting a green economy and green job creation and South Africa’s Green Economy Accord seeks to create 300 000 new green jobs by 2020,” He commented.

He added that China’s twelfth Five Year Devel-opment Plan has provisions for an investment of $468-billion in green economic sectors, including waste recycling and reutilisation, clean technologies and renewable energy, compared with the $211-billion that was invested over the last five years.

“A 2010 survey by the Association of Environ-ment Protection revealed that 35 000 enterprises and institutions in environmental protection and related industries have a total of three-million employees, while employment in new energy industries was 1.1-million in 2007,” he noted, adding that ten-million jobs were expected with the implementation of the China’s National Plan on Energy Saving and Environment.

Gueye stated that, in findings of 21 country studies, including Egypt, Mali, South Africa and Uganda, countries underestimated the growth of their green sectors, there was a general lack of scientists and engineers in the green sector and national skills structures did not meet skills demands.

“Most African countries displayed weak coordination between environmental policies and the skills needed for the development of green economies,” he explained.

He highlighted, however, that, despite net employment gains, certain industries are expected to face loss of employment as a result of economic restructuring and the implementation of green economy policies.

In China, for example, 600 000 workers are expected to lose their jobs with the closing of obsolete thermal power generators by 2020 –only one-tenth can be re-employed in new large thermal power stations.