“Agile and adaptable companies, continuous upskilling and the ability to attract talents are amongst the most decisive elements, determining whether we (Denmark) are able to maintain our international position as a leading green nation”.  With those words, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark inaugurated the first #The2030Countdown conference - the first in a series of three events. In capacity as Patron of State of Green, HRH Crown Prince opened the digital conference which included presentations from Connie Hedegaard, Dan Jørgensen, Lars Sandahl Sørensen, Lizette Risgaard and Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.

Denmark may need 100,000 employees to fill green jobs in 2030

Today, roughly 3 per cent of full-time positions in Denmark are considered green. This, however, will increase as the green transition is rolled out across industries and borders. More precisely, Boston Consulting Group launched a report on the event day stating that Denmark will need in the range of 50,000 - 100,000 green workers to fulfill the ambition of reducing its CO2-emissions by 70 percent by 2030.

Despite the challenging outlook of fulfilling the current job gap, the 9^th of April presentations took a positive stance by accentuating Denmark’s ability to transform and grasp the green opportunities. A common note was the need to act fast and find solutions through public-private engagements:

“If we want to keep our green pole position internationally, with what it entails of export and job opportunities, we need to gear up. The key is our ability to swiftly move from discussions to actions in a manner where the citizens feel involved and are able to mirror themselves with the transformation”, expressed CONCITOs Chairman Connie Hedegaard.

Denmark’s Minister for Climate and Energy, Dan Jørgensen, alongside CEO of Confederation of Danish Industry, Lars Sandahl Sørensen, directed attention to swift dealings and underlined the importance of finding solutions with all labour market parties to deliver on the green ambitions:

“For far and most in this country, the green transition will be a positive change. Many jobs might be even better as we provide upskilling and new opportunities within the same sector. But some will also face challenges. Some are forced to look for an entirely new line of business. If we take this challenge too lightly, the green transition and our efforts will suffer from a bottleneck”, said the Minister.

Lars Sandahl highlighted the latest recovery fund and climate investments across Europe, the US and India, which opens up an avenue for green Danish export: “The opportunities are plentiful, but we won’t get there without a dedicated effort. The competition is stiff and others are able to deliver the needed solution (…) Employing the Danish Model, as in securing broad public-private collaboration, will determine our success”.

At the conference, Lizette Risgaard, Chairman of the Danish Trade Union Confederation, further spoke about the working force in a new green reality. Venstre’s Party Leader, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, gave the closing presentation with emphasis on climate policies as a driver of green growth.

You can revisit or watch all the presentations and discussions here: https://ida.dk/viden-og-netvaerk/videoer-fra-ida/the-2030-countdown-securing-jobs-growth-and-people-in-a-green-new-era

#The2030Countdown is held in collaboration between IDA, the Danish Society of Engineers, CONCITO and State of Green. The event series focusses on green growth and future employment towards 2030.

You can find upcoming event dates via State of Green here: https://stateofgreen.com/en/events/