What are green jobs?

• The power industry generates electricity and is changing away from using fossil fuels to using renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar.
• The gas industry is changing to use less fossil gas and more hydrogen, which can be a cleaner source of power and heat.
• Water companies are working on ways to limit the impacts of floods and droughts and ensure the supply of drinking water.
• Waste management companies are increasing the recycling of waste from our homes, reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill, and using waste to generate electricity.

The ability to recognise green jobs in these sectors and businesses is growing in importance because they are best placed to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and protect the environment.

We think that there are direct green jobs, which help to develop a low carbon economy, and there are also indirect green jobs that support them.

A Direct Green Collar Job is a new or current role which enables a low carbon economy, or directly supports environmental goals, such as mitigation against climate change risks.

These are jobs such as Wind Turbine Technician (carbon-free electricity), Nuclear Engineer (low carbon energy); Flood Management (constructing flood defences); or Energy from Waste recovery operations (working to produce electricity from rubbish).

Green Collar Jobs could also be jobs that exist now, that with additional training could become greener – for example, smart energy meter installers could be upskilled to fit a range of low carbon heating systems.

All these roles have a direct impact on reducing carbon or protecting the environment.

Indirect Green Collar Jobs are existing jobs that contribute to the greening of economic activity, but do not involve any new specific green skills or tasks. So, a lorry driver that delivers the parts to build a wind turbine is doing an Indirect Green Collar Job.