According to a recent study, India has the potential to generate up to 35 million green employment by 2047 in both established and developing industries, such as waste management, electric vehicles, green building, and sustainable textiles.
“India has the potential to create 35 million green jobs by 2047. Strengthening the skill ecosystem consistently and equitably will ensure a just transition, leaving no vulnerable groups behind,” stated the report by Skills Council for Green Jobs and Sattva Consulting and supported by JP Morgan.
The report goes on to say that through two interconnected strategies—leveraging the global demand for skilled human resources to help itself and other countries achieve net zero targets and ensuring just and well-managed transitions for labour in traditional industries that are affected as a result of these shifts—the country can take advantage of the promised green growth to create meaningful livelihoods.
However, more importantly, it notes that in order to speed up skill development efforts, a number of systemic obstacles need to be resolved. This is because more candidates need to be trained in order to achieve green growth at a quicker rate.
“These barriers include lack of policies for green skill development, funding gaps, inadequate skill infrastructure, exclusion of vulnerable groups, and lack of collaboration among key actors,” stated the report titled ‘Gearing Up the Workforce for a Green Economy’.
The report emphasised that more than 138 Indian enterprises have committed to attaining net-zero emissions by 2050 in terms of green transitions in traditional industries.
Through the use of electric vehicles (EVs), environmentally friendly building practices, and sustainable fabrics and apparel, the automotive, construction, and textile sectors are paving the way for India's green transition, it was said.
“The growth of EVs is expected to create 10 million direct and 50 million indirect jobs by 203011, offering an opportunity not only to hire new workers but also to upskill and integrate the existing 35 million Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) workforce,” said the report.
“Green growth and green jobs are a priority area for the government, and we are fully committed and continuously engaging with industry and other stakeholders to ensure that youth are suitably skilled, certified, and fully prepared to meet the evolving requirements of the industry,” said A K Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), while releasing the report.
In addition, the study identifies five high-risk initiatives that have the potential to significantly increase the number of jobs available to those from low socioeconomic status.
These include training entry-level workers, upskilling the existing workforce, encouraging entrepreneurship-led models, fostering diversity & inclusion, formalising, and assuring green job safeguards and working standards.
