How will Europe's green transition impact employment?

Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. At the beginning of November, EU scientists stated that 2023 is set to be the warmest of the past 125,000 years.

The impacts of climate change can be felt throughout European economies and societies. The EU has set out to do its part to address these issues by becoming the first climate-neutral continent, with net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To achieve this objective, EU policymakers adopted the Fit for 55 policy package in 2021, which contains intermediate decarbonisation objectives aimed at reaching a 55% emission reduction target by 2030 based on 1990 levels. These are important goals for Europe overall.

But what kind of impact will they have on our lives and in particular on employment and the labour market?

This is the focus of the new episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast. In the episode Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound Senior Research Manager John Hurley about new research which shows a marginal increase in net employment from EU decarbonisation measures, but also potentially broad shifts in the labour market that could have a profound impact in several areas.

Among other issues, Mary and John discuss the changing skills demands that Europe’s green transition is ushering in, differing employment impacts of climate change policies across industries and Member States, the potential impacts on the gender employment gap and gender equality, and areas of focus for policymakers to ensure that no-one is left behind.

• Listen to the episode: How will Europe's green transition impact employment?
• Download the report: Fit for 55 climate package: Impact on EU employment by 2030

Subscribe to Eurofound Talks where you get your podcasts, you can send feedback on the series to media@eurofound.europa.eu.