A study conducted by the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) and Sattva Consulting, supported by JP Morgan, reveals the potential for India to create up to 35 million jobs across existing and emerging sectors. The report, “Gearing Up the Workforce for a Green Economy” was based on interactions with over 85 industry leaders, experts from the skills ecosystem and over 2,000 youths.
Sectors such as renewable energy, waste management, electric vehicles, green hydrogen, sustainable textiles and green construction are major sectors that will navigate green growth in India and record the highest number of green jobs.
In EV for instance, the report suggests establishing a network of women entrepreneur-led after-sales services and charging centres. Similarly, it highlights the necessity of upskilling the existing workforce across the solar value chain to meet the demand for a 12-fold increase in jobs.
The report further states that the promised green growth is an opportunity for the country to create meaningful livelihoods through two interconnected strategies — firstly, leverage the global need for skilled human resources to help itself and other countries achieve net zero targets and secondly, ensure just and well-managed transitions for labour in traditional industries that are impacted as a result of these shifts.
But certain challenges can halt this progress such as these sustainability-focused jobs that need some specific set of skills and an ecosystem to gain progressive momentum which will take time to move at a faster pace.
The study suggests some major initiatives that will help create these green jobs which include reskilling and upskilling the existing workforce, training the entry-level workforce, supporting entrepreneurship-led models, embracing diversity & inclusion, and ensuring formalisation, and protection and working conditions of workers.
