Tracking Progress on Supporting Workers and Communities in Canada’s Energy Transition

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) proposes a framework of 18 priority indicators to help the Canadian federal government track progress under the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act (2024). The report emphasizes that measuring the transition to a net-zero economy must go beyond counting 'green jobs' to include job quality, social equity, and institutional readiness.

• The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, passed in June 2024, mandates that the federal government regularly track and measure progress in supporting workers and communities during the shift to a net-zero economy using key indicators.
• The report proposes 18 priority indicators grouped into three categories: 'risk and readiness' (economic exposure and institutional preparedness), 'response' (governance and processes), and 'results' (net-zero alignment, employment/decent work, and social equity).
• The energy transition is expected to have a net positive impact on Canadian employment, with an estimated 2 million direct and indirect jobs created by 2050, though approximately 900,000 jobs are expected to be lost due to the decline in fossil fuel production.
• Significant workforce disruption is anticipated in the oil sands, where production could fall 83% from 2022 to mid-century in a global net-zero scenario, potentially reducing jobs from 100,000 to about 5,000 between 2025 and 2050.
• There is a substantial gap in training capacity; while the federal government is spending CAD 1.4 billion on skills development, it is estimated that 72,000 workers will need training between 2026 and 2030, and 600,000 more by 2050.
• The report identifies a lack of operational monitoring systems globally, noting that even the Scottish Just Transition Commission found "no outstanding models of good practice" for monitoring and evaluation.
• To ensure effective tracking, the report recommends that the Sustainable Jobs Secretariat within Natural Resources Canada be provided with ongoing analytical capacity and support from Statistics Canada.
• The proposed framework emphasizes 'decent work' as a core component of sustainable jobs, which includes fair income, job security, social protection, and representation by a trade union through a collective agreement.

APA

Duennenberger, S., Cameron, L., & Parenteau, S. (2025). Tracking Progress on Supporting Workers and Communities in Canada’s Energy Transition. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-06/tracking-support-canada-energy-transition.pdf

Chicago

Duennenberger, Simon, Laura Cameron, and Serene Parenteau. Tracking Progress on Supporting Workers and Communities in Canada’s Energy Transition. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-06/tracking-support-canada-energy-transition.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Duennenberger |first1=Simon |last2=Cameron |first2=Laura |last3=Parenteau |first3=Serene |title=Tracking Progress on Supporting Workers and Communities in Canada’s Energy Transition |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-06/tracking-support-canada-energy-transition.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{duennenberger2025tracking, author = {Duennenberger, Simon and Cameron, Laura and Parenteau, Serene}, title = {{Tracking Progress on Supporting Workers and Communities in Canada’s Energy Transition}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-06/tracking-support-canada-energy-transition.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }