Beware! Many are at risk of falling behind in the ‘green jobs race’
Nordic women are underrepresented in green jobs, although all countries in the region find themselves today slightly above the OECD average of 28.3 per cent female workers in the green economy. Sweden is the Nordic country with the highest share of women in green jobs – at 34.4 per cent – while the other countries are hovering around the 29 per cent mark. The Baltic states are the closest to achieving equal representation of women and men in green jobs in the OECD countries. In Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, women represent at least 39 per cent of those working in green jobs (Zakrzewska, A., and Fitzgerald, L., 2023).
On average, 11.74 per cent of workers in the Nordic Region, about the same as in all OECD countries, were in ‘polluting’ or brown jobs in 2021. In Finland, this figure was higher than in other countries in the region, at 14.9 per cent of workers. As it is estimated that the vast majority of these jobs (83.4 per cent across the OECD) were held by men (OECD, 2023), these workers find themselves at risk of either losing their jobs or having their jobs transformed as part of the green transition. In practical terms, many (mostly male) workers in these industries will, either now or shortly, face a difficult choice: developing new green skills or risking unemployment. Both scenarios will require timely and adequate policy responses.
According to the OECD’s analysis, in the Nordic countries, and elsewhere, capital cities and the surrounding areas have so far been leading the way in green job creation and are a step ahead when it comes to closing gender gaps. A reason for this may be that capital cities and the surrounding areas have a higher concentration of highly skilled workers, which in turn affects demand for and growth in green job opportunities.
Denmark: In Copenhagen, 38.5 per cent of green jobs were held by women. In Northern Jutland, however, only 19.1 per cent of green jobs were held by women.
Finland: In Helsinki-Uusimaa, 35.2 per cent of green jobs were held by women, whereas women accounted for only 24.1 per cent of those in green jobs in eastern and northern parts of the country.
Norway: Women held 33.4 per cent of green jobs in Oslo and Viken, while women accounted for only 24.1 per cent of those in green jobs in Agder and Sør-Østlandet.
Sweden: In Stockholm, 40.8 per cent of green jobs were held by women. OECD figures show that, in comparison, women accounted for only 27.1 per cent of those in green jobs in Central Norrland in 2021.
These figures paint only part of the picture, however. The Nordic Region has taken the global lead in green industry and technology development, spanning areas such as biogas, offshore wind and geothermal energy, battery production and electric transport, digitalisation technology, carbon-free steel, geological storage of carbon dioxide, and forest-based bioeconomy (Sand, J., 2023). Most of this development is taking place outside of the capitals, in more remote areas.
Between the start of 2019 and early 2021, the demand for green jobs grew by 75.5 per cent in Sweden (OECD, 2023). Industries are shifting away more and more from unsustainable practices, while massive investments are being made in in green technology in northern Sweden, including the investment of SEK 1,000 billion in green industrial establishments over the coming two decades (Northern Sweden CleanTech, 2022). It is estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 workers will be needed to support this transition in northern Sweden, in both direct and indirect jobs (Nordregio, 2022). This brings a need for more housing, infrastructure, and services such as schools and healthcare, in addition to skills development programmes. Already, thousands of jobs have been created, attracting workers from all over the world, often engineers, operators, and other technical experts (Wallin, G., 2021).
A study looking at the development process of the Swedish EU Territorial Just Transition Plan (Moodie, J., et al., 2021) highlights labour shortages and a demographic decline, which limit the local talent pool. With strongly gender-segregated labour markets in the areas where large-scale transformation is taking place, it argues for attracting more women to jobs in traditionally male-dominated sectors that are key to the green transition, locally, as one solution. Another area for action is support for students (mostly male) towards completion of higher education. Overall, these massive green investments bring not only livelihood opportunities in communities but also challenges in terms of ensuring that all women and men in their diversity can respond to increased pressures for industrial restructuring, reskilling, and evolving occupational and regional mobility. This will demand more analysis and policy action going forward (Alsos, K. and Dølvik, J.E. (eds.), 2021).