Climate change is already rewriting the job market in the Western Balkans

Climate change and the green transition are significantly disrupting the labour market in the Western Balkans, with nearly 3 million jobs exposed to climate shocks or transition risks. The region faces substantial GDP losses from extreme weather and the potential collapse of communities dependent on brown-coal-fired power plants. While EU funds have supported some projects, the author contends that without targeted training and social protections, the transition risks leaving the most vulnerable workers behind.

• Climate change and the green transition pose a significant threat to employment in the Western Balkans, with nearly 3 million jobs either directly exposed to climate shocks or at risk due to the transition. Extreme weather impacts are expected to cause GDP losses of up to 16% across the region.
• The phase-out of 16 operational brown-coal-fired power plants represents a major social and political risk, particularly in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where over 29,000 coal-related jobs are at risk. Decommissioning costs for these plants range from €2.5 million to €12 million per plant.
• Specific climate-driven disruptions have already caused severe economic damage: 2014 floods erased over 51,000 jobs, and a 2017 flood in Albania resulted in the loss of 15,000 hectares of crops.
• Kosovo faces a particularly acute transition challenge, with up to 17% of its workforce requiring changes to their job tasks due to the green transition, occurring in a context where over half of the working-age population is inactive.
• Despite the mobilization of €6.8 billion and the backing of 21 green flagship projects through European Union funds, the total financial, institutional, and social costs of the transition still exceed the region's capacity.

APA

Bregu, M. (2025). Climate change is already rewriting the job market in the Western Balkans. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/climate-change-is-already-rewriting-the-job-market-in-the-western-balkans/

Chicago

Bregu, Majlinda. Climate change is already rewriting the job market in the Western Balkans. World Economic Forum, 2025. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/climate-change-is-already-rewriting-the-job-market-in-the-western-balkans/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Bregu |first1=Majlinda |title=Climate change is already rewriting the job market in the Western Balkans |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=9 July 2025 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/climate-change-is-already-rewriting-the-job-market-in-the-western-balkans/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{bregu2025climate, author = {Bregu, Majlinda}, title = {{Climate change is already rewriting the job market in the Western Balkans}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/climate-change-is-already-rewriting-the-job-market-in-the-western-balkans/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }