From Low-Mobility to Rapid-Growth Jobs: How Governments and Agencies Can Build the Bridge to Clean Economy Careers

This issue briefing looks at the retraining required to transition workers from occupations susceptible to automation to rapidly growing occupations in the clean economy.

Document highlights

• High-risk, low-mobility (HRLM) occupations represent roughly 3.5 million Canadian workers.
• Numerous transition paths exist between HRLM occupations and rapid-growth jobs, such as those in the clean economy.
• Looking at the retraining required to move from HRLM jobs to green jobs, the highest return on investment is in the paths enabled by six months to one year of retraining.
• One year of retraining can create at least one transition path for 90 out of the 92 HRLM occupations we studied.
• Although most workers would consider moving to a job in the clean economy, factors holding them back include worries about compensation, their sense of identity in their current role, and job security in an unfamiliar role.
• Taking advantage of this transition opportunity will require careful thinking (and significant investment) by government and funding agencies, skills development agencies, and economic development agencies.