Two million workers needed to reach net zero

The Clean Energy Council and the Energy Efficiency Council have launched the Careers for Net Zero campaign, designed to help fill Australia’s skills gap and encourage job seekers to pursue a clean economy career.

According to the campaign organisers, at least two million new jobs are required to meet net zero by 2050, and 200,000 new roles are needed to reach Australia’s 2030 target of 43 per cent lower emissions.

Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Kane Thornton says the clean economy drive provides enormous opportunities for job seekers.

“From the city to the bush, decarbonising our economy will provide thousands of new jobs and new career opportunities,” says Thornton.

“Upskilling needs to occur on a colossal scale. We need to double our energy workforce by 2030 and double it again by 2035. Heightened global competition for talent across a diversity of critical skills and occupations means this is a top priority for our sector.”

Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel says immediate action is needed.

“The current talent pool simply isn’t matching up with demand,” says Menzel, “and many of the roles desperately needed by 2030 already face major skill shortages at a national level. If we fall short of meeting these targets, it will come at a huge cost and will impact Australia’s reputation on the global stage.”

The Careers for Net Zero Fair took place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 26, with the goal of assisting Australians to find new career pathways and ways to upskill. The event featured Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, Commonwealth Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor, Co-CEO of Atlassian and Chair of Boundless Earth Mike Cannon-Brookes, Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio, and Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew, as well as dozens of other industry experts.

The campaign also includes a clean economy career explorer tool on the Careers for Net Zero website. The online platform will aggregate the growing list of careers needed to help Australia achieve net zero. The site will feature the most in-demand positions and will map educational pathways to get there for students, graduates, and experienced workers.

Alongside the campaign, a coalition of leading industry, education and training, and civil society organisations has called for government to take real action to secure our emissions reduction and workforce goals.

According to the campaign organisers, it is estimated the transition will create 14 million new clean energy jobs by 2030, while another 16 million workers will need to move into new roles in renewables, energy efficiency and electrification. Around 60 per cent of these roles will require post-secondary training.

More information is available at the campaign website: www.careersfornetzero.org.au