Background

The green jobs research project is a collaboration between WWF-SA, the WWF Nedbank Green Trust and the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) research think tank. The primary objective of the project is to understand the nature and scope of jobs resulting from South Africa’s transition to a green economy and to contribute to the creation of green employment in the country. This will be achieved through a research process that seeks to identify blockage and challenges, and to assess prospects for green employment, which will be triggered by the transition to sustainable development.

The project will study and identify high-potential nexus areas or nodes of economic and social innovation, environmental risk, and state activity where there is a need for green jobs, but the job opportunities are currently hidden, unexplored or locked. This research will identity and unlock bottlenecks to employment in South Africa, focusing on the assessment of the green economy transition and methodologies used to assess green employment. The research will also package opportunities to support the development, growth and sustainability of green enterprises.

Building on evidence-based research and analysis the project will work towards addressing the challenges hindering the growth of green jobs and employment in South Africa, and seizing the emerging opportunities. The ultimate aim is to develop a methodological framework to understand, identify and unlock green employment creation, demonstrating the potential of the transition to a green economy to create inclusive development. This seminal contribution will then be taken to scale through further investment from within the state and private companies themselves.

In addition, the project will directly and indirectly contribute to the protection of ecosystems: directly through the actions of those working in the new green jobs created, and indirectly through a far greater appreciation, in public and private sectors as well as civil society, of the social and economic benefits of investing in a green economy.