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

The document examines the challenges and opportunities for establishing green jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly in rural areas affected by COVID-19. It highlights a significant gap between 'environmental jobs' and 'green jobs' due to high informality and the lack of decent work standards. Through case studies in Colombia (bioeconomy and nature tourism in Guaviare) and Chile (agroecology in La Serena), the brief argues for a territorial approach that combines public policy with community-led initiatives to foster resilience and a just transition. It concludes with recommendations for governments to institutionalize green job definitions, improve statistical tracking, and provide targeted financial and technical support to vulnerable populations, including women and youth.

• Latin American and Caribbean countries have the capacity to create approximately 15 million green jobs by 2030, specifically within the sectors of energy, forestry, transportation, and ecosystem restoration.
• High levels of labor informality in the region hinder the establishment of true green jobs; in Colombia, for example, 56.7% of employed persons were informal in 2021, and only 81,386 jobs were classified as green out of 106,347 environmental jobs.
• The bioeconomy is a major driver for employment in Colombia, with the potential to generate up to 2.5 million jobs by 2030, including those in sustainable nature tourism and beekeeping.
• In Chile, the circular economy is estimated to provide up to 100,000 green jobs by 2030, while agroecological practices are being used to build resilience against water scarcity in regions like Coquimbo.
• There is a critical lack of statistical data and institutionalized definitions for green jobs across most LAC countries, which impedes effective decision-making and the direction of resources.
• Post-pandemic economic recovery in the region failed to prioritize sustainability, with less than 8.1% of economic rescue package spending allocated to green initiatives.

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} }