Cities’ action to mitigate and adapt to climate change can create local ‘green’ jobs while improving air quality, reducing household energy bills, expanding affordable public transport, and more. Measuring green jobs can help to build the economic case for climate actions, maximize the job-creation benefits of those actions, monitor progress and improve the equitable distribution of jobs.
There are various established approaches for measuring green jobs, offering a means of identifying and quantifying green jobs and the potential job creation associated with proposed policies and investments. The approach(es) most appropriate for your city’s green jobs analysis should be selected based on your strategic goals, available data, budget and resources. Studies can also be repeated on an ongoing basis to track change and progress.
This article outlines the approaches cities can use to measure green jobs, using examples from Buenos Aires, London, Milan, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. Consider working with an expert partner, such as a local university, to design and deliver the study, as cities including Buenos Aires have done.