New green job skills will be needed if the transition to low-carbon economies is to take place, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has warned.

New research from the body focusing on 21 countries that represent 60 per cent of the total global population revealed a capable workface is vital for the health of green economies, with the skills needed varying from nation to nation.

Skills for green jobs: a global view highlighted the growth of green economies is already being hindered by a lack of expansion in certain areas, such as a shortage of scientists and engineers and disinterest in careers in key sectors like waste management.

Study coordinator Olga Strietska-Ilina noted that while employment opportunities are created with the introduction of climate change policies, they also result in potentially risky structural changes.

"The report shows that economies moving towards greener production can seize the potential for job creation if they deal with the coming structural change and transformation of existing jobs," she stated.

G20 leaders recently vowed to focus on job creation in order to quell global discontent, a move welcomed by ILO director general Juan Somavia.

Posted by Lee Thrace