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Occupational Mobility and Green Transition: A Stylized Estimation of Skill Investment Needs in South Asia

Author

Listed:
  • Andrés Ham

    (Universidad de los Andes)

  • Emmanuel Vazquez

    (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP)

  • Monica Yanez-Pagans

    (The World Bank)

  • Camilla Knudsen

    (The World Bank)

  • Saher Asad

    (The World Bank)

Abstract

This paper estimates the share of green employment in seven South Asian countries using an O*NET-based definition and finds that, on average, 24 percent of jobs in the region are currently green. The paper then assesses the potential for non-green workers to transition into green occupations. Among all non-green workers, 57 percent could transition to green jobs with limited reskilling, 16 percent with moderate upskilling, and 27 percent with full skills reconversion. These results suggest three policy priorities—promoting on-the-job training, strengthening firm-based and public–private training systems, and adopting a dual strategy that invests in reskilling and upskilling today’s workforce while simultaneously advancing forward- looking education reforms that equip future cohorts for new and emerging green occupations.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrés Ham & Emmanuel Vazquez & Monica Yanez-Pagans & Camilla Knudsen & Saher Asad, 2026. "Occupational Mobility and Green Transition: A Stylized Estimation of Skill Investment Needs in South Asia," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0377, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    • Handle: RePEc:dls:wpaper:0377
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Consoli, Davide & Marin, Giovanni & Marzucchi, Alberto & Vona, Francesco, 2016. "Do green jobs differ from non-green jobs in terms of skills and human capital?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(5), pages 1046-1060.
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    4. David Popp & Francesco Vona & Myriam Grégoire-Zawilski & Giovanni Marin, 2024. "The Next Wave of Energy Innovation: Which Technologies? Which Skills?," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(1), pages 45-65.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries
    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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