Belgium is the country with the highest potential for net job creation from the green transition in Europe, according to a report published on Monday by the Ministry of Public Health and Environment.
The Belgian construction sector will be one of those most affected by the transition to a zero-carbon society by 2050, a European objective to which Belgium is committed.
The report, "Impact of the Climate Transition on Employment, Skills and Training in Belgium" stressed the importance of training workers throughout their careers to ensure "a just transition policy". Researchers additionally stated that new skills will be needed in all sectors, and "all levels of training can benefit from an improvement in skills"
Dedication to training is essential
In particular, the authors recommend increasing the pace of training of workers, but also turning to immigration to combat a shortage of skilled jobs. Belgium is the European country with the biggest mismatch between the need for skills and the supply available, the Belga News Agency reports.
A young protestor holding a sign during the march of 'Act for Climate and clean water for all' in Brussels, October 2021. Credit: Belga / James Arthur Gekiere
There are other challenges in terms of training, such as the overall ageing of the population, but also the lack of training and trainers available to adapt certain workers' skills for the green transition.
The report also advocated guaranteeing decent working conditions and preventing any deterioration in these through specific policies.
Attracting people to such training is also a major issue addressed by the report. It recommends, among other things, the introduction of tax incentives and a platform for centralising training courses available for green transition jobs.
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According to figures from Eurofound and Climact, the green transition could boost the Belgian employment rate by 1 to 1.7% by 2030.
Another study by the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), estimated that the transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050 could create between 20,000 and 60,000 new jobs in Belgium.
