Delivering on the European Green Deal A Private Sector Perspective 2025

Changes to the job market Unlocking investments and permitting bottlenecks will speed up the scale-up of green technologies, thereby accelerating the transformation of the European economy and its job market. The transition will also result in the redistribution of skills demand to green sectors, providing opportunities for some displaced workers through reskilling or redefined job scopes. The European Green Deal is expected to have a moderately positive impact on the job market, creating 950,000 additional net new jobs (0.5% growth of the job market); however, green jobs will not always be created in places where brown jobs (jobs with high levels of carbon output) are liquidated.147 14 million people who work in the brown sector will need to significantly transform their existing skillsets or develop entirely new ones.148 The green transition will particularly impact sectors that are resource-intensive and characterized by high GHG emissions. Job reductions will affect critical economic sectors, including energy, transport and agriculture, while job creation will be spread across multiple industries given the cross-sectorial application of sustainable solutions and new skills required. Sectors like transport and construction will likely notice job redefinitions, requiring new skills related to new technologies.149,150,1512.3 Workforce and skills Net new job creation induced by the European Green Deal in the EU by 2030 FIGURE 12 Number of employees Employment percentageGermany Spain Italy France Belgium Romania Greece Czech Republic Portugal Netherlands Austria Hungary Slovakia Finland Bulgaria Croatia Latvia Denmark Lithuania Estonia Ireland Malta Slovenia Luxembourg Cyprus PolandNumber of employees (thousands)Employees percentage 0350 1.0% 300 250 200 150 100 500.6% 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1% 0.0%0.7%0.8%0.9%Sweden Note: Net new jobs represent cumulative effect of job creation, job redefinition, job substitution and job destruction. Source: Accenture analysis; Lamio, E. (2021). The European Green Deal: moving to action. Opportunities and challenges for the European citizens; The EU green deal and the future of the European labour market: which challenges and opportunities?; Institute of European Democrats; Eurostat. (2024). Employment and activity by sex and age - annual data. Delivering on the European Green Deal: A Private Sector Perspective 26