HARLINGEN, Texas (Border Report) — A new study projects there will be a shortage of millions of workers worldwide for green jobs by 2040 if migrants aren’t trained and hired for these workforce demands.
The study, “Good Green Jobs and Labour Migration in Cities,” released Thursday by the Mayors Migration Council, Climate Migration Council and C40 Cities is the first to detail projected green job labor shortages in construction, transportation and waste industries.
Training migrants to fill the green jobs gap could add $280 billion to the worldwide economy, the report says.
Urban climate change is projected to create 13 million green jobs by 2040.
The study projects a shortage of 3 to 6 million workers by 2040 and says, “Failing to address these shortages would present a missed opportunity both for workers and local economies, and could stall the green transition.”
Labor shortages could be avoided by training existing workers and migrants, the report finds.
“Barriers need to be removed for migrants to access green jobs,” the report says.
“This report makes clear the huge economic potential of green jobs — for cities and for national governments,” said Vittoria Zanuso, executive director of the Mayors Migration Council.
“But to unlock that potential, we need bold investment in workforce training and the political will to attract new talent. As we look to the future of work and a thriving green economy, that means building inclusive training programs for both local and migrant workers — and creating regular migration pathways to fill critical labor gaps,” Zanuso said.
The report warns that without addressing shortages of green labor and skills, climate progress and the economy are at risk.
The report studied 25 cities worldwide, including Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Mexico City, Bogota, Colombia, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Cape Town, South Africa.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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