🌎 Green Skills #16

Momentum is building in green workforce development, with growing efforts to close gender gaps and build inclusive talent pipelines. Women now comprise 30% of the US solar workforce—up from 23% in 2018—signaling progress in representation. However, disparities remain: in India’s expanding auto industry, women hold only 16% of jobs, and globally, men held three times more green jobs than women in 2023. To address this, targeted programs are emerging. 

Kentucky is upskilling 11,700 workers through the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation, allocating $9.5M for training across 115 sites, including Ford’s Louisville EV hubs. Additionally, DIFC’s “1 Million Learners” initiative, backed by global leaders like Mastercard, PwC, and UNDP, aims to equip one million individuals in MEASA with sustainability skills by 2030.

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Green Labor Market Trends

💡 Gender Gap Persists in Green Skill Adaptation. Women now comprise 30% of the US solar workforce—up from 23% in 2018—marking progress in representation. However, in India’s auto industry, women hold just 16% of jobs despite 22% growth, reflecting structural and cultural barriers to inclusion.

🌬️  South Dakota’s Renewable Energy Boom Spurs Workforce Shift. Wind and hydro now generate 77% of the state’s power, placing South Dakota among the top three US states for renewables. As demand surges, technical colleges report 100% job placement for energy grads, with wind techs earning up to $127K. 

🌱 Europe Risks 101.5% Green Skills Gap by 2050. Green job demand rose 11.6% in 2023–2024, while supply lagged at 5.6%. The UK leads with 13% of job posts requiring green skills. Only 26% of construction workers are green-skilled. Women make up just 10% of green talent. Portugal saw a 71.3% spike in green job demand, driven by aligned policy and investment.

Men Held Over Three Times More Green Jobs Than Women in 2023

👷‍♂️ Gender gap widens in global green jobs. In 2023, men held 3 times more green jobs than women across advanced and emerging markets, spotlighting a persistent gender gap in the global transition.

⚙️ Underrepresentation persists in advanced economies. Green roles accounted for 20% of male employment versus just 6% for women in advanced economies, reflecting gaps in clean tech, energy, and skilled trades.

🌱 Emerging markets showed a similar split. Despite rapid green job growth, only 5% of women were employed in such roles versus 16% of men, highlighting missed opportunities in workforce inclusion.

📉 Barriers to access deepen the divide. Despite sectors like renewables and EV manufacturing continuing to scale, female participation trails behind, limited by unequal access to training, mobility, and technical pathways.

🎯 Actionable Strategies: Closing the green gender gap demands sector-specific skilling and inclusive hiring. Expanding apprenticeships and vocational programs tailored to women, especially in energy, mobility, and manufacturing, can unlock a vast pool of untapped talent. As countries like India scale green sectors, embedding gender equity into workforce development plans will be vital to meeting both climate and labor market goals.

Upskilling/Reskilling Intiatives

🌿 Kentucky Upskills 11,700 Workers Through BSSC, Boosts Green Industry Skills. The Bluegrass State Skills Corp. approved $9.5M for training at 115 sites in FY2025, including 10,000+ at Ford’s Louisville EV hubs. Programs target sectors like renewables, alternative fuels, and carbon pipelines, advancing green workforce development.

👷 Meralco Power Academy and MSU-IIT signed an MOU to train a future-ready energy workforce. They’ll offer joint programs, internships, and research to boost renewables and nuclear science skills, aligning industry and academe for a sustainable energy future.

☀️ MGEN Powers Ahead with World’s Largest Solar-BESS Project & Local Workforce Boost. MTerra Solar in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan hits 42% completion, set to deliver 3,500 MW solar and 4,500 MWh storage by Q1 2026. The TERRAnsform program trains 600 locals, with 60 now employed onsite.

Policy Initiatives

🌱 DIFC launches “1 Million Learners” to train one million in sustainability across MEASA by 2030. Backed by 29 partners, including London Stock Exchange Group, Mastercard, PwC, UNDP, and Visa, the policy initiative partners with GIST Impact to deliver measurable environmental and social outcomes.

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