Ensuring that the green transition will be inclusive and will leave nobody behind has been a fundamental principle of the European Green Deal from the outset. The Commission is committed to ensuring this by putting in place adequate frameworks and policies.

The Commission’s ‘2030 Climate Target Plan’ impact assessment(1) emphasised that, with the right accompanying policies in place, the overall employment impact of the green transition will be positive, with a net employment increase of up to +0.45% by 2030 compared to a business-as-usual scenario.

As outlined in the proposal for a Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality(2), the transition could, with the right accompanying policies, create around 1 million jobs in the EU by 2030 and 2 million jobs by 2050.

A Commission study shows relevant scenarios for the employment impacts(3). Fossil fuel industries will experience job losses, while some sectors(4) will undergo a transformation and others are likely to expand their activities.

To realise the positive effects of the green transition, an adequately skilled workforce is crucial. Supporting workers through up‐ and re-skilling measures and facilitating job-to-job transitions to green jobs, in line with the Commission Recommendation on Effective Active Support to Employment(5) will be key.

Furthermore, the abovementioned recommendation on fair transition outlines further guidance on how to support vulnerable households and microenterprises in particular.

Financial support for retraining to ease workforce transitions is available under several instruments, including the Just Transition Fund, cohesion policy funds such as the European Social Fund+, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility(6).