Green jobs have been on China’s agenda since 2006, when it became one of the first member countries to collaborate with the International Labor Organization (ILO) in conducting research on and formulating measures to create green jobs. Since then, China has prioritized green development, e.g. energy efficiency in industry, transportation, and buildings; development of wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources; creating a resource-saving “circular” economy; and transforming traditional sectors through energy-efficient and environmentally-sound technologies.
The “2006 – 20015 Green Jobs in China” study assessed the green employment potential and the number of jobs that would be lost by 2020. 1.1 million green jobs were identified in the renewable energy sector, but concern was expressed over the ability of this new industry to absorb older and less skilled workers. The study predicted a total of 2.2 million jobs in renewable energy by 2020. Other sectors, such as industry directly relating to environmental protection, forestry and waste management were identified as having green job potential.
China has since become a global leader in renewable energy and, in 2019, accounted for 39% of the world’s total jobs in the sector. The country’s total number of related jobs stood at 4.1 million, with 44% of the global total employment in wind power, i.e. ~510 000 jobs. 15% or 308,000 of all worldwide hydropower jobs are in China. China’s PV industry provides ~ 2.2 million direct and indirect jobs. In solar heating and cooling, China employs 670,000 people and in solid biomass 186,000. In addition, with China’s government’s decision in 2010 to elevate the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry to one of its seven “strategic emerging industries”, a plethora of NEV car makers and battery companies have sprung up in China, providing green job opportunities. A recent ILO report estimated a total of 1.2 million potential jobs in the NEV sector by 2020.
Laws promoting environmental protection were introduced as early as 1979 governing soil, water, forest, grassland, wildlife etc. The 11th Five-Year-Plan (2006 – 2010) called for an integration of environmental protection in industrial production, aiming at reducing emissions, saving resources, and for an overall transition to clean energy. From 2006 onwards the State Council decreed industry restructuring, calling for the closure of old-technology plants in a.o. power generation, construction, paper, etc., while promoting a transition to energy efficient public transport, better waste management, circular economy concepts, pollution control and monitoring etc. A plethora of concomitant laws and programs has been introduced governing labour, including provisions to retrain laid-off workers, strengthen vocational training and provide green fiscal and financial tools to encourage green entrepreneurship.
In 2015, a revised version of the “Dictionary of Occupations in China” included for the first time “green occupation” labels for professions in 17 categories featuring “environmentally friendly, low-carbon and circular” characteristics. It is expected that China’s current focus on promoting innovation and becoming a high-end producer of goods, seeking dominance in 10 strategic industries from electric cars and next-generation telecommunications to advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, will provide further employment opportunities that support green jobs and a clean, low-carbon and high-tech transition.
Activity Rating: *** Right Direction but Could Do More
China has – given the complexities of leading such a vast country through a low-carbon and “green” transition – done relatively well in setting and pursuing the goal of cleaning up its industry, transportation, waste etc.
However, the challenge now will be how to transform the industrial infrastructure from the early days of the PRC. Many factories are located in remote areas, where access to new infrastructure allowing for the development of innovative industries is difficult. Especially the structurally weaker areas such as China’s Northeast, which relies heavily on old industries such as coal mining, coal fired power plants, steel etc. present a challenge. China has set a goal to cut overcapacity in some traditional industries and forecasts estimate workers to be laid off in coal and steel to be ~1.8 million or ~15% of the workforce. Most of those laid-off workers would be around 40-50 years of age and will have difficulties finding re-employment both due to skills as well as mobility reasons.
To alleviate mass lay-offs, China has in recent years established a proactive employment policy framework encompassing (1) labourers becoming self-employed, (2) employers creating more jobs, (3) government providing public service job positions, and (4) enterprises transferring employment by separating principal from auxiliary businesses. Also, the government has repeatedly said that released workers will be absorbed by the service industry. However, some of these policies are difficult to implement in remote, structurally weak areas far removed from potential customers or alternative industries.
The situation is exacerbated when considering that new, more efficient, and cleaner technologies like wind power are highly automated, needing less employees. Therefore, it will be difficult for long-term employees in traditional industries and locations to find new work, even if they received training to re-skill. In addition, whole communities often depend on one industrial employer both for their livelihood and basic infrastructure. Restructuring or closing such factories for more environmental efficiency needs to be done in such a way as to keep the livelihoods of these communities intact.
Take Action
Message: Please send the following message to the policymaker(s) below.
Dear Minister/ Dear Premier Li,
Leading China through the necessary industrial and labor force transition in order to achieve future innovative and low-carbon development is a daunting task. China has in the past two decades risen to the challenge by promulgating a comprehensive set of policies governing every aspect of this transformation. The results have been impressive.
At the same time, for a true low-carbon transition China will need to phase out its coal reliance and industry, which will affect millions of workers in structurally weak and remote areas that are heavily invested in coal. Workers in these areas will need special assistance beyond reskilling them.
They need to be enabled to create new opportunities where none exist, which requires an entrepreneurial skill set that allows them to create their own businesses. For a true low-carbon future, China needs to reduce coal reliance and we therefore hope that MOHRSS can work with all relevant authorities to help these workers and their communities to transform.
Contacts:
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security /
(For English) english@mail.gov.cn
Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China
(for Chinese): http://59.252.101.55:8090/bzxx/pages/Proscenium/LetterContent.jsp
(For English) english@mail.gov.cn
The State Council, Share your ideas with China’s Premier (in English)
Premier Keqiang Li
http://topic.media.gov.cn/topicdata/en/2020/index.html
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Country Manager: Annette Wiedenbach
Contact: awiedenbach@gmx.de
Learn More:
ILO; Skills for Greening Jobs in China
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_emp/—ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_706934.pdf
ILO, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security; 中国绿色就业研究
IRENA; Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Report
https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2019/Jun/IRENA_RE_Jobs_2019-report.pdf
ILO; China – Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets 2019 https://www.ilo.org/beijing/information-resources/public-information/factsheets/WCMS_730338/lang–en/index.htm
自2006年,中国成为与国际劳工组织合作研究、制定措施创造绿色就业机会的首批成员国之一以来,绿色就业就提上了中国议程。之后中国将绿色发展列为优先事项,例如提高工业、交通和建筑的能源效率;开发风能、太阳能和其它可再生能源;推动节约型“循环”经济;以及推进节能环保技术改造传统行业。
“ 2006-2015年中国绿色就业机会报告”研究评估了绿色就业潜力以及到2020年将丧失的工作岗位数量。可再生能源领域确认已创建110万绿色岗位,但对雇佣年长或低端技术人员仍有疑虑。该研究报告预测到2020年,可再生能源领域或将创造220万就业机会。其它如与环境保护、林业和废弃物管理直接相关的行业,则被认为具有绿色就业增长潜力。
中国正成为全球可再生能源领域领导者,2019年以39%的占比成为该领域全球最大雇主。去年相关从业人数达到410万,其中风电从业人数约为51万,占该领域全球就业总数的44%。全球水电行业就业岗位有15%(30.8万)在中国。中国的光伏产业可提供约220万直接和间接工作机会。在太阳能供暖和制冷方面,中国雇佣了67万名员工,固体生物质燃料为18.6万。此外,随着中国政府于2010年将新能源汽车(NEV)产业提升至其七个“战略性新兴产业”之一后,大量的新能源汽车制造商和电池公司如雨后春笋般涌现,并提供了大量绿色就业机会。国际劳工组织最近发布的一份报告预测,到2020年,新能源汽车领域的潜在工作机会将达到120万份。
早在1979年中国就颁布了环境保护法,涉及土地、水、森林、草原、野生动植物等。“十一五”计划(2006-2010年)呼吁将环境保护引入工业生产,减少碳排放和节省能源,并逐步过渡到全面使用清洁能源。自2006年起,国务院发布了工业结构调整规划纲要,要求淘汰技术落后的发电、建筑、造纸等产能,提高交通运输节能,加强废弃物管理,引进循环经济概念,深化污染控制和监测等。大量与之相关的劳动管理法律和项目也已落地,包括对下岗工人职位保留规定,加强职业培训,并构建绿色财政和绿色金融系统以鼓励绿色创业。
2015年,《中国职业分类大典》的修订版首次将具有“环保、低碳和循环”特征的17个类别的职业标示为“绿色职业”。如今中国着眼于技术创新和向全球高端产业链转型升级,寻求从电动汽车与5G通信到高级机器人与人工智能等10个战略性行业的主导地位,期待因此将提供更多的就业岗位,以支持向清洁、低碳和高科技过渡。
活动评分:★★★不错,仍有进步空间
鉴于一个如此巨大体量的国家向低碳和绿色转型的复杂性,中国在设定目标和“清理”工业、交通运输、废弃物等方面的成绩值得肯定。
然而,面临的艰巨挑战将是如何升级新中国成立初期建造的工业基础设施。许多工厂位于偏远地区,那里很难同步更新这些设施来适应创新产业的发展。尤其像中国东北这些地方,经济结构较薄弱,严重依赖煤炭、火力发电厂、钢铁等老旧工业,必将成为巨大挑战。中国已经设定了削减某些传统行业产能过剩的目标,并预估煤炭和钢铁行业下岗工人的数量将达到180万,占当地劳动力的15%。这些下岗工人年龄大多数在40-50岁之间,由于技能和流动性限制应该很难再就业。
为缓和大规模裁员,近年来,中国推行了积极的就业政策以促进就业,包括(1)自行创业,(2)企业增加更多工作岗位,(3)政府提供公共服务类职位,(4)从主营业务中剥离出来从事辅助业务的新企业。此外,政府已多次表示,释放的劳动力将被服务业吸收。但是,其中一些政策很难在远离潜在客户或产业集群的偏远、结构薄弱的地区实施。
更麻烦的是,像风能这种新型、更高效、更清洁的技术是高度自动化的,仅需要少量员工,这种情况在绿色生产领域又极为普遍,那么某些传统行业和偏远地区的就业人员即使接受了技能再培训,也很难找到新工作。同样,很多情况是整个社区人员都依赖某个大型企业来维持其基本生活,那么在建设性重组甚至关闭这些企业的时候,如何维持这些社区的生计完好无损则成为关键。
行动指南:请将以下信息发送给立法者
带领中国完成必要的工业和劳动力转型,以实现未来的创新和低碳发展是一项艰巨的任务。在过去的二十年中,中国颁布了各种各样的政策覆盖到了改革的各方各面。其成果引人瞩目。
同时,为实现真正的低碳转型,中国不得不逐步淘汰以煤炭为基础的落后行业,这必然会影响那些结构脆弱的煤炭产业链上下游及偏远地区的数百万工人。这些地区的工人除了技能培训外,还需要其它特别的帮助。
简而言之,授之以渔不如授人以渔:这些劳动力通过培训具备自行创业的能力。为了实现真正的低碳未来,中国必须减少对煤炭的依赖,为此希望中国人力资源和社会保障部能和所有相关部门合作,帮助这些工人及其社区完成转型。
联络信息:
中华人民共和国人力资源和社会保障部
张纪南部长
(中文) http://www.mohrss.gov.cn/SYrlzyhshbzb/zxhd/buzhangxinxiang/woyaoxiexin/
中华人民共和国生态环境部
黄润秋部长
(中文): http://59.252.101.55:8090/bzxx/pages/Proscenium/LetterContent.jsp
国务院 — 中国总理说说你的想法
李克强总理
http://topic.media.gov.cn/topicdata/en/2020/index.html
此文由Climate Scorecard国家经理:Annette Wiedenbach攥写
Translation / 翻译:Jolin
电邮:awiedenbach@gmx.de
Sources: 参考信息:
ILO; Skills for Greening Jobs in China
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_emp/—ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_706934.pdf
ILO, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security; 中国绿色就业研究
IRENA; Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Report
https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2019/Jun/IRENA_RE_Jobs_2019-report.pdf
ILO; China – Employment and Environmental Sustainability Fact Sheets 2019 https://www.ilo.org/beijing/information-resources/public-information/factsheets/WCMS_730338/lang–en/index.htm
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