Green Jobs and the Mobility Transition in Latin America
A conversation with Anne Caroline Posthuma, former Director at the ILO’s International American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (Cinterfor)
September 6, 2024
In our conversation with Anne Caroline Posthuma, she drew on her experience in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region to explore the link between the labor market and the mobility transition.
Freedom of Mobility Forum (FOMF): In today’s environment, how does mobility influence access to job opportunities?
Anne Caroline Posthuma: Mobility raises some important implications for the world of work in the context of climate change. The provision of diverse and quality mobility options can increase people’s ability to access jobs and educational opportunities. In the LAC region approximately 81% of the population lives in cities, hence most mobility needs are concentrated in dense urban areas. A greater diversity of mobility options would thus enable better access to work in these areas. In this context, the aim of enhancing mobility to facilitate access to job opportunities via a greater variety of low-cost and public transport options should be aligned with that of promoting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Indeed, this would help achieve objectives outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (notably SDG 8 and 11) in an integrated and mutually supportive way.
FOMF: How will the shift to sustainable mobility impact the job market?
Posthuma: The transition to sustainable mobility positively affects labor market options and workers’ skill development when it leads to new “green” job opportunities. For example, in the LAC region, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) have estimated that 15 million new jobs could be created linked to decarbonization processes.
However, these jobs should correspond to the ILO’s definition of “green jobs,” which require occupations respect labor rights and working conditions. This is part of the so-called “just transition”, a structural transformation toward low-carbon emissions, sustainable economies and societies that respect the conditions of decent work.
A staggering number of over 60 million workers worldwide are directly employed in the transportation of people or goods, which represents over 2% of global employment, but also contributes to environmental degradation. A recent UNECE-ILO study* revealed that the promotion of green transport in Europe has great potential to offer new employment opportunities, especially when the appropriate policy mix and investment incentives are provided. For example, one scenario focuses on jobs created through private transport electrification (including the development of equipment and infrastructure), which were estimated to offset the loss of jobs related to the less labor-intensive manufacturing of electric vehicles.
However, research by the ILO has shown that the jobs most impacted by this transition will be existing occupations that are “greening”. As sectors evolve towards more sustainable production models, occupations will either be eliminated, substituted or transformed. As a result, the role of training institutions will be crucial to ensure workers have adequate skills to continue participating in the shifting labor market.
* United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, International Labour Organization, Jobs in green and healthy transport – Making the green shift (2020)
FOMF: In a changing labor market, how will upskilling and training enhance freedom of mobility for workers?
Posthuma: If we consider labor market mobility rather than physical mobility, then the link between the skills required by the job market and the training available appears a key issue.
One key lever for enhancing this type of mobility is to set common frameworks for skills certification and recognition. These facilitate people’s access to a wider range of skilled job opportunities, highly impacting their professional growth and geographical mobility.
Over 150 countries worldwide are now designing and implementing regional and national qualification frameworks. These aim at creating a more effective connection between the following issues:
- Employer’s skill needs
- The design of worker training
- The movement of skilled workers to new job opportunities
In Latin America, a region with strong labor mobility, various countries are now discussing the development of a regional qualification framework. This would facilitate a shared recognition of skills and certifications that ease labor mobility across borders.
As the sustainable transformation moves forward, the shift toward systems of lifelong learning appears fundamental to enable workers’ continuous skilling, reskilling and upskilling. Workers need to acquire new competencies throughout their working life to ensure their job retention and labor market mobility. Moreover, continuous learning is key not only for workers but also for policymakers and employers who need to maintain competitiveness in the context of climate and technological change.
FOMF: To what extent can public policies contribute to supporting more sustainable forms of mobility and the creation of new job opportunities?
Posthuma: Transportation in the LAC region is responsible for 15% of greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to air pollution. Public transportation plays a key role in urban mobility, as the region has the highest per capita bus use. Under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, 27 of the 33 countries in the region thus prioritized transport in their efforts to achieve their emissions reduction targets.
A transition is underway in the LAC region, and a renewable energy market has started to grow in the region. An increasing share of the total power sector is based on renewables, and some countries have achieved 100% renewable electricity systems. This raises important implications for electric mobility, along with challenges about the speed, financing and inclusiveness of that transformation.
With these elements in mind, opportunities for new jobs and skills development in sustainable mobility are on the rise. Electrification of public and private transportation will have economy-wide employment impacts and governments can play a key role in supporting these transformations. For example:
- Some governments have taken important steps to promote electric mobility, including the establishment of laws and regulations regarding the shift toward decarbonization.
- Other countries have set phasing out of combustion vehicles, taking the lead with public transportation.
By 2020, national electric mobility strategies were under development or already published in at least 14 countries in the region. Public policies are now exploring topics such as micro-mobility infrastructure, short-distance vehicles, cycling lanes and pedestrian-only streets. Green hydrogen projects are also gaining attention, led by governments but with policies encouraging private sector participation.
Through the definition of strategies and implementation of specific business and financing models, a growing number of governments in the LAC region are demonstrating they are prepared to take the lead to boost the shift to more sustainable mobility options, thereby supporting new skills and job opportunities.
Disclaimer: The responsibility for opinions expressed in this interview rests solely with the speaker and does not constitute an endorsement by the ILO or its constituents of the opinions expressed herein.