The UN Environment conference in Nairobi this week will tackle issues such as thinking differently about the future of jobs, youth unemployment and advancing the Paris Agreement
Unemployment is a roadblock to the prospects of some 192 million young people across the world. Many are educated, only to find that there are no jobs. In the past, education was a springboard into a world of opportunities. But the board no longer bounces. For too many young people, it is now just a long plank with no guarantee of employment at the end.
In Tunisia, 40 per cent of university graduates are unemployed, many of them women who have a far harder time of finding work than their male counterparts. In India the World Bank estimates that some eight million new jobs need to be created every year to maintain the employment rate. Just to illustrate how tough this task is, some two million people applied for 9,500 jobs as typists and stenographers, of this, 992 held doctorates and over one million were graduates.
This tragedy is not only costing governments billions but also represents a massive loss in talent, while arguably feeding growing apathy and disengagement among youth. There are two ways to look at this problem: either through a kaleidoscope of opportunity, or a prism of risk.
First, the good news. The opportunity for a new era of Green Collar Jobs for young people is growing. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has shown how 24 million jobs could be created from clean energy and a circular economy.
But the scope stretches far beyond this number if conservation and forestry restoration are added in addition to greening existing roles such as the canteen manager, HR director and procurement teams, who all have tremendous influence on sustainability through their decision making. Thinking differently around the future of jobs can deliver a “triple dividend” of addressing youth unemployment, advancing the Paris Agreement and achieving the SDGs, if we set our minds to it.
Here in Kenya, the need for maintenance crews to support the wind-turbines in Turkana or the mini-solar grids that are rising across the Rift Valley is creating a thirst for talent that universities and technical schools can meet. But the rate of unemployment among young people is soaring with the challenge being around a skills mismatch and opportunity deficit, rather than a lack of talent.
So, how do we fix it?
First of all, we need to check the plumbing. The pipeline from education to jobs can be built through a far greater emphasis around “Applied Learning”, which ensures that learning is accompanied with practical skills acquisition and experience in the workplace, not in the abstract.
Then, we need to invest deeply, and boldly. Whether it is the clear progress from the G20 on their long-held promise to address fossil fuel subsidies or appealing to Sovereign Wealth Funds to help invest in the skills of the future, funding a new era of training and jobs is critical. Countries such as Norway, Sweden, Korea and the UK are supporting action on this issue and are backing this agenda at UN Environment.
Further discussions will take place this week, when leaders from 193 countries gather in Nairobi for the UN Environment Assembly to discuss priorities for global environmental action. Private sector companies and universities from across the world will contribute to innovative thinking during debates such as the UN Young Champions of the Earth. The new Youth and Education Alliance will be launched to generate action on campus and in communities across the world.
Supporting the creation of green jobs for young people is the best investment we can make in the planet right now. The UN secretary general has called for increased attention to engaging youth as part of the solution for global challenges such as climate change.
NUS has found that 85 per cent of international students stated that they would vote for a government which places a greater emphasis on tackling climate action. The dividends for the future are clear and the demand from young people is rising.
We can see this demand with the Friday school strikes that have been inspired by 16-year old Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg with mass action set to take place across the world on March 15.
As she says, “what we do now with children, we can’t undo in the future”. For them and this beautiful earth that they will inherit, we need to support the transition of what was formerly known as “white” or “blue” collar jobs to a bright new shade of green.
Director of Ecosystems, UN Environment