Page 285 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 1

STS429 Catherine S.
PEPs too can be powerful tools to address the impact of climate change
on workers and their incomes, while also enhancing mitigation. Half of the 86
PEPs in 62 countries surveyed include an environmental component. They
often provide health care, education and other benefits. Similarly, PES,
although originally conceived with an environmental objective, can provide
effective support for household incomes in specific circumstances.
A policy mix comprising cash transfers, stronger social insurance and limits
on the use of fossil fuels could lead to faster economic growth, stronger
employment creation and a fairer income distribution, as well as lower
greenhouse gas emissions.

10. Although skills development programmes for enterprises and
workers facilitate the transition to a green economy, they are yet to
be mainstreamed in policy discussions
Skills development programmes are crucial to the achievement of a just
transition. Of the 27 countries surveyed, about two-thirds have established
platforms to anticipate skills needs and the provision of training in general,
but they are not all used to discuss the skills implications of the green
transition. The active participation of social partners is useful in identifying
skills gaps, implementing training provisions, emphasizing that higher skills
translate into higher pay, and recognizing the skills acquired on the job.
However, social partners are not always involved in the relevant discussions;
this is especially the case of workers. Where they exist, specific bodies to
discuss skills for the green transition have led to positive changes in training
for the sectors directly involved in the transition (such as renewable energy
and waste management), but they have comparatively little influence on the
greening of the economy as a whole.
National environmental legislation increasingly refers to skills
development but the provisions are often limited to specific skills policy areas
(such as the identification of skills needs), target groups (e.g. youth), sectors
(especially energy) or regions. Consensus has not yet been reached in many
countries on the definition of skills for the green transition and the capacity is
lacking to collect relevant data for reliable skills identification. As a result, skills
development policies for the green transition tend to adopt a short-term and
fragmented approach. Greater awareness of environmental issues and their
mainstreaming in skills policy discussions are required to ensure that
identification of skills needs and implementation of training programmes
respond to labour market needs.

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