The International Labour Organization (ILO) released Workforce 2030 which explores the skills needed for the green and digital transitions (December 2025). The report draws on employment projections produced by the ILO and Cambridge Econometrics, which estimate the impacts of the transition to climate neutrality in energy production and near-universal broadband internet coverage
Human Level’s Take:
- What will the world of work look like in 2030? The ILO predicts that the green and digital transitions - and their combined effects - are likely to create a large number of new jobs, as long as the process is well-managed by governments and employers.
- If climate neutrality is largely achieved by 2050, green policies and tech could increase global employment by 1% by 2030, equivalent to 37.2 million jobs. New jobs will mostly occur in energy, as well as green construction and manufacturing, potentially offsetting losses in fossil fuel-reliant sectors.
- If the world achieves 90% access to broadband internet by 2030, global employment could rise by 0.7%, equivalent to 23 million jobs mainly in ICT, digital marketing and remote work. That said, given the high rate of tech integration across all companies, digital skills will be needed across all sectors.
- And, under a combined green and digital transition, where the transitions feed each other, there could be an additional 58 million jobs by 2030, 1.6% above the current baseline.
- However, caution is needed, as gains will not be equal. For example, men stand to benefit far more than women in the green transition (where men will occupy the majority of new jobs created). And in the digital transition, roles primarily conducted by women (such as clerical and administrative work) are likely to disappear fastest. At the same time, there will be regional discrepancies between higher-income and lower-income regions, and between urban and rural areas. Younger workers are also somewhat more likely to benefit than older workers.
- So what is the role for the private sector? While policymakers will need to play a significant role, companies play an important role in supporting beneficial transitions by creating the enabling conditions for social dialogue that ensures decent and inclusive work, respecting the rights to collective bargaining and to form trade unions.
- They can also create new opportunities for workers to develop the skills needed by the transitions; offer on-the-job learning and apprenticeships; help rebalance gender inequities by providing comprehensive approaches that offer both skills training and workplace support for women; and tackle regional inequities through tailored, targeted efforts in the places they operate in that are likely to benefit least, especially Africa and lower-income countries.
Some key takeaways:
- How the green and digital transitions will impact the workforce: The report looks at the effects of the green transition on employment, in the situation where the world largely achieves climate neutrality by 2050 and completely by 2060. In this context, policies like carbon pricing and energy efficiency, in addition to the emergence of green tech and innovations, will stimulate the demand for green jobs across multiple sectors. Global employment growth could increase by 1% between 2024 and 2030 compared with the baseline scenario, equivalent to an additional 37.2 million jobs. Most of this job creation is anticipated in the clean energy sector, which is expected to offset losses in fossil fuel-dependent sectors. However, the gains won’t be even. For example, there will be a concentration of job growth in green construction and manufacturing, which will primarily benefit men, who are overrepresented in these sectors. Women are predicted to gain 46% fewer jobs than men in this scenario. In addition, disadvantaged youth will tend to benefit less due to their limited knowledge of sustainability, according to research by the OECD cited in the report. To benefit from the green transition, workers will need multiple types of skills, including foundational skills like numeracy, literacy, digital literacy and climate/environmental literacy; soft skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, collaboration and creativity; semi-technical skills like customer handling, project management, research, and sales and marketing; and technical skills to develop and build new green technology. When it comes to the digital transition — in the scenario where at least 90% of the population achieves access to broadband internet by 2030 — there could be an increase in global employment of around 0.7%, or over 23 million more jobs compared with the baseline. New jobs will primarily be created in the information and communication technology sector, digital marketing and remote work. Increased demand for digital literacy will go beyond the tech sector, as many more traditional industries are expected to integrate digital technology into their operations. Like the green transition, there will be winners and losers of the digital transition. For example, already-advantaged workers are likely to benefit more while disadvantaged workers fall behind. Specifically, there will be employment inequalities between higher-income and lower-income countries, and within countries that have a large rural-urban divide. In addition, most of the new jobs are projected to go to men, as clerical and administrative jobs traditionally occupied by women are likely to be displaced. Women are likely to gain 30% fewer jobs than men in this scenario. This disparity is worse in developing countries with growing tech sectors like India, Indonesia and Thailand, where women are especially underrepresented in digital jobs.
- Effects of the combined transitions: The report also studies effects of the combined effects of the green and digital transitions, as green technology and innovation are drivers of the green transition, both mitigation and adaptation. When these effects are combined, the ILO estimates that global employment growth would be 1.6% higher than the baseline in 2030, or 58 million more jobs. All types of jobs would show growth, though craft and other trades occupations will gain significantly. Many of the gains would occur in occupations requiring medium skill levels. At the same time, the ILO anticipates challenges in this scenario. For example, few government policies and initiatives for job creation and re- and upskilling consider the combined effects of the transitions. In addition, there will be un equal access to training, especially in low-income regions, and education systems will be slow to evolve. Men will also benefit more than women, given their overrepresentation in both green and digital industries; women will gain 40% fewer jobs than men in the combined scenario. Increasing women’s participation in these sectors will be key, for example through workplace policies, scholarships, and targeted outreach and talent development pipelines. Younger workers (15-24 years old) are also anticipated to benefit more than older workers, though opportunities will increase across all age groups.
- What role can companies play?: The ILO outlines a central role for governments and international institutions, who can implement large-scale policies and initiatives, but the private sector will also contribute to preparing workers for the green and digital transitions. One key way is by supporting the enabling conditions for decent work, like the right to form trade unions and bargain collectively, as the report notes that social partners like unions will be essential to the process. They can also contribute to providing input and advocating with governments for inclusive policies and initiatives on skills development, training and job creation. In addition, companies can help their workforce develop the needed technical skills through opportunities for new training, reselling and upskilling. Hands-on, on-the-job training will also play an important role, for example work-based learning and apprenticeships for new labour market entrants and current employees. Interventions will need to go beyond technical skills to also encompass the soft and core skills needed for new jobs. Finally, companies can help rebalance gender and regional disparities to ensure workers benefit equitably. For women, companies can develop comprehensive packages that include not only training but also promotional activities that change attitudes, spaces for dialogue, ongoing support for the training-to-work transition, and career advice. Companies can tackle regional disparities by considering the different needs and skill sets of their workers in higher-income compared to lower-income regions. The report particularly urges a focus on African and low-income countries, which are likely to benefit least.
