‘We want to investigate how the green transition and green jobs are described in policy documents from, for example, government agencies and international organisations, as this has consequences for how different actors target their initiatives and work with these issues. If critical perspectives are not included, there is a risk of reproducing inequalities and gender inequality,' says Jimmy Sand, analyst at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg, leading the project Gender, green transition and green Jobs.
Highlighting challenges and critical perspectives
Several projects are underway within the Secretariat's focus area A fair working life that examine societal transformation and its impact on working life and the labour market from a gender perspective. The project Gender, green transition and green jobs is carried out in 2025. It asks questions about what skills are in demand in the green transition, and what jobs can be considered green but are not recognised in the same way as green jobs in industry, for example.
Green jobs are typically defined as work focused on preserving or restoring environmental values. In the green transition of working life, more jobs are expected to become green, with a particular emphasis on various industrial initiatives aimed at achieving this. But which competencies are in demand, and which are not?
‘It's basically about asking questions. What is it that is not really visible in the centre lane when green transition is discussed? Which gender and critical perspectives are peripheral and what would it mean if they were in the centre? If you don't include critical reflection, there's a risk that there won't be much of a transition,’ says Jimmy Sand.
Builds on knowledge from previous projects
The project will compile a research overview and analyse reports from international and intergovernmental organisations such as the International Lablour Organisation, ILO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation, OECD, and the European Union, as well as regional actors in Sweden and the Nordic region.
The report also builds on knowledge from previous projects carried out by the secretariat, many of them within the Nordic co-operation body NIKK, Nordic Information for Knowledge on Gender. This includes publications on working life and education, as well as on climate, transition, individuals' lifestyles and gender in, for example, the reports Climate, Gender and Consumption (2022) and Gender Perspectives on Green Jobs in the Nordic Region (2023).
‘The issue of green jobs has been a recurring theme in our work, which is why it is important to take on board the knowledge and issues raised in previous projects, which we are now exploring in greater depth in the forthcoming report,’ says Jimmy Sand.
The report is expected to be released in December 2025.
