Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research

Blue occupation pathways: Career transitions to the sustainable blue economy

In this research, we analyze the occupational transitions from 92 high-risk, low-mobility (HRLM) jobs to 15 rapid-growth jobs in the sustainable blue economy (SBE). How many years of training open up the most opportunities for HRLM workers to transition into the SBE? Which regions of Canada have higher transition potential, or higher transition costs? What training programs need to be developed to fill skill and labour gaps? Read the impact paper to get our full analysis.

Key insights

Rapidly growing occupations in the sustainable blue economy (SBE) are often specialized in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Due to the nature of these occupations, most transitions from high-risk, low-mobility (HRLM) jobs to those in the SBE will likely require one to three years of training.

The cost of a career transition to the SBE varies widely across Canada. It is high in British Columbia due to the opportunity cost of training and is much lower in the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The transition is especially less costly in Quebec because of the very low direct cost of training.

Related content

mossy branch in vancouver area
Research

Rapid Reskilling to Support Nature-Based Solutions and Green Infrastructure Projects in Canada

The project aimed to retrain workers from the oil, gas, forestry and mining industries, enabling them to transition into roles that support environmental restoration and sustainability through nature-based solutions (NBS).
Research

Navigating net-zero: Faculty perspectives on greening post-secondary curricula

This project sought to understand how post-secondary institutions are integrating green skills, climate literacy, and green career pathways into their programming, the barriers they faced, and opportunities for them to be more responsive to emerging green economy needs.
Mechanic worker inspects and maintains service of electric engine and battery in automobile garage
Research

Employment Impacts of Canada’s Emission Reduction Plan

This research examines the effect of the federal government’s Emission Reduction Plan (ERP) on Canada’s labour market.
View all Research