The world currently faces difficulties securing human capital, enabling social mobility and enhancing societal resilience – issues that are likely to increase with a growing and ageing global population.
Meanwhile, the climate crisis and geopolitical tensions are accelerating the shift towards greener economies and greater energy independence. This white paper by the World Economic Forum explores the role that social and green jobs can play in addressing these challenges.
A growing and ageing global population looks to exacerbate existing issues with social mobility and human capital development. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions are amplifying the need to find alternate energy sources amid the already urgent need to transform into a more sustainable economy. More Social Jobs, those in the education, healthcare and care sectors, can help address social mobility and human capital issues. Similarly, more Green Jobs are essential for enabling an environmental transition.
This paper calculates the additional Social Jobs and Green Jobs needed to progress social mobility and the green transition by 2030, across 10 major economies: Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. This paper is part of the Jobs of Tomorrow White Paper series which examines proactive job creation investments that yield broad societal returns. This assessment of the needed increase in Social and Green Jobs is a call to action for businesses and governments, to invest in job creation and training for these jobs, to help create more inclusive and sustainable economies and societies around the world.