The potential of green jobs in LAC: a territorial approach in the context of just transition

This policy brief by Transforma analyzes the potential for green jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on a territorial approach to just transition. Based on community experiences in Colombia, Chile, and Mexico during 2023, the document examines how green jobs can foster resilience in rural areas, the challenges posed by high labor informality, and the role of bioeconomy and agroecology in creating sustainable livelihoods.

• Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has the potential to create approximately 15 million green jobs by 2030, particularly in the energy, forestry, transportation, and ecosystem restoration sectors.
• High rates of labor informality in LAC hinder the establishment of green jobs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 140 million people worked informally in the region, and while formal employment showed some dynamism by 2022, total employment has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
• In Colombia, the bioeconomy sector is a significant driver for employment, with the potential to generate up to 2.5 million jobs by 2030. Specific opportunities exist in sustainable nature tourism and beekeeping, though many of these remain as informal family businesses.
• Chile's circular economy is estimated to provide up to 100,000 green jobs by 2030. The country has also focused on agroecology to build resilience in agri-food systems, though a lack of an institutionalized concept of green jobs and certification for agroecological bioinputs creates barriers to formal recognition.
• Post-pandemic economic recovery in LAC did not prioritize sustainability, with less than 8.1% of spending on economic rescue packages allocated to green initiatives.
• The document recommends that governments institutionalize the definition of green jobs, generate sector-specific statistical data, and implement intersectional public policies that target vulnerable groups, such as women and youth, to increase the effectiveness of employment generation.

APA

Criado, J., Piña, M., & Téllez, L. (2023). The potential of green jobs in LAC: a territorial approach in the context of just transition. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01_police-brief_empleos-verdes_ingles.pdf

Chicago

Criado, July, Matías Piña, and Lorena Téllez. The potential of green jobs in LAC: a territorial approach in the context of just transition. Transforma, 2023. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01_police-brief_empleos-verdes_ingles.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Criado |first1=July |last2=Piña |first2=Matías |last3=Téllez |first3=Lorena |title=The potential of green jobs in LAC: a territorial approach in the context of just transition |publisher=Transforma |date=2023 |url=https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01_police-brief_empleos-verdes_ingles.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{criado2023potential, author = {Criado, July and Piña, Matías and Téllez, Lorena}, title = {{The potential of green jobs in LAC: a territorial approach in the context of just transition}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2023}, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01_police-brief_empleos-verdes_ingles.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }