Green and Decent Jobs: The case for local action

Article

In this paper we argue that to maximise the benefits of the green jobs revolution, we must make sure that green jobs are also good jobs, paying a decent wage and offering more and better employment opportunities to a wide range of people.

Green jobs are often heralded as the solution to the twin challenges of lowering our greenhouse gas emissions and bringing down unemployment. However, very little has been said about what new green jobs might look like - who will be doing them, how much might they pay and where will they be? Unequal access to jobs, low pay and a lack of progression routes are endemic problems in some parts of the UK labour market.

To make the revolution a reality, we make the case for greater action at the local level, and by a greater range of individuals and organisations. We examine the potential for new partnerships between lots of different organisations - based on examples of best practice from the USA - to help ensure that new green jobs are right for local communities.

Related items

  1. View of Bank of England, Royal Exchange, and Duke of Wellington equestrian statue (1844) with skyscrapers and construction in background.

    Navigating in the fog: Why the OBR should hold its nerve on the productivity forecast

    The fiscal watchdog is under pressure to downgrade its forecast, costing the chancellor billions – but this would be premature.
  2. A busy bus full of people of all ages. An older couple smile at a younger woman with a baby in a pushchair

    Everyday concerns: What people want from transport

    Transport has a key role to play in achieving the UK government's missions and improving lives. 
  3. An unrecognisable woman playing a slot machine in a social club

    Reforming gambling taxation: How to lift half a million children out of poverty

    A key priority for the government’s upcoming child poverty strategy should be to remove the two-child limit and scrap the household benefit cap.