Doing green for a green Earth

Employment and development linked to environmental protection and greenhouse gas emission reduction are becoming an inevitable trend. Vietnam cannot remain aloof; it needs to quickly finalize policies and mechanisms to promote green jobs, placing people at the center of sustainable development.

Nông nghiệp là một trong những ngành có thể tạo nhiều việc làm xanh. Ảnh: Văn Học

Agriculture is one of the sectors that can create many green jobs. Photo: Literature

Realizing the National Strategy

In line with sustainable development goals, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 1658/QD-TTg on October 1, 2021, approving the National Strategy on Green Growth for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 (replacing Decision No. 1393/QD-TTg). Accordingly, the strategy aims to transform the growth model towards greening economic sectors, applying a circular economy model through the efficient and economical exploitation and use of natural resources and energy based on science and technology, applying digital technology and digital transformation, and developing sustainable infrastructure to improve the quality of growth, enhance competitive advantages, and reduce negative impacts on the environment.

According to economist Dinh Trong Thinh, the emergence of more environmentally friendly jobs that reduce energy consumption contributes to sustainable development. Mr. Thinh emphasized: "To achieve sustainable economic development and green growth, we must have more green jobs and a conscious effort to protect the environment." So what are green jobs? According to the Institute of Labor and Social Sciences , they are satisfactory jobs in economic sectors and activities that contribute to environmental conservation and restoration in both traditional sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, as well as emerging sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. At the enterprise level, green jobs can involve producing goods and providing services that benefit the environment, for example, green buildings or clean transportation.

In the National Strategy on Green Growth, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs is responsible for organizing the training of technical personnel in professions belonging to green economic sectors within its jurisdiction; developing and implementing policies to encourage the creation of green jobs; and developing and implementing social security and social assistance policies for vulnerable groups and entities affected by the green transition process.

Many experts believe that green growth must be people-centered, helping to reduce human vulnerability to climate change; encouraging responsible lifestyles of individuals towards the community and society, guiding future generations towards a green living culture, and forming a civilized, modern society in harmony with nature and the environment.

Encouraging the creation of green jobs.

The unpredictable nature of extreme weather events puts humans first to suffer the consequences. However, in practice, it is humans themselves, along with their production and labor activities, who have negatively impacted the environment. Therefore, a shift in mindset, a change in working methods, and the creation of as many jobs related to environmental protection as possible are crucial. According to Mr. Ngo Xuan Lieu, Director of the National Center for Employment Services (Department of Employment, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs), it is necessary to train officials in the sector on integrating green growth goals into the development of vocational training policies; to train and cultivate a team of teachers and vocational education management staff with sufficient knowledge and skills in greening vocational education; to organize training in green professions for the economy; and to support the training of technical personnel in professions belonging to the green economy sector: environmental services (wastewater, waste), renewable energy, etc.

According to Mr. Ngo Xuan Lieu, in the coming time, it is necessary to implement and apply green job models and climate change adaptation job models; and to research and assess the level of impact and influence of climate change on employment according to updated national scenarios.

Sharing the same view, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Huong, National Human Resources Director of ManpowerGroup Vietnam, believes that the demand for green jobs is receiving increasing attention from workers. This is clearly demonstrated by candidates' search for jobs in green businesses. "Green jobs and green skills are essentially the knowledge, behaviors, and daily conduct we exhibit while performing our work, all aimed at protecting the environment," Ms. Huong emphasized.

To foster a green mindset and create more green jobs in the future, according to Dr. Nguyen Quynh Hoa (National Economics University), Vietnam must strengthen awareness of green jobs. To achieve this, we need to unify and correctly understand the concepts of green jobs, meeting international standards and aligning with the country's socio-economic development. These concepts should be codified in official documents and widely disseminated to the public. To further promote green jobs in the economy, it is necessary to ensure decent working conditions in all economic sectors. Accordingly, production sectors should continue to monitor and evaluate working conditions for employees, ensuring that workers work in safe conditions, have labor contracts, and receive incomes higher than low-income earners.

Many experts recommend policies to support the transition of workers from informal to formal employment. In Vietnam, the proportion of agricultural workers is quite high; this is also a workforce without formal employment relationships, with low incomes and unsatisfactory working conditions. Therefore, there should be a mechanism to support and facilitate businesses and organizations in formalizing their activities in agriculture and employing workers in this sector like other industries. However, the low skill level of workers is also a challenge in securing satisfactory employment, so workers also need to actively participate in training to meet market demands.

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