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Fiji and GGGI Launch Study of Green Employment in Fiji

Suva, Fiji – December 12, 2019 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), together with the Climate Change and International Cooperation Division of the Fiji Ministry of Economy today published the first Fiji Green Jobs Assessment. The Assessment, the first of its kind in the Pacific region, was developed to provide a definition of green jobs for Fiji. This preliminary study considers initiatives with potential for green jobs creation, estimates existing green employment, identifies major employment changes as the economy greens, and recommends how green employment can grow while minimizing other job losses.

To celebrate the release of the Fiji Green Jobs Assessment, the GGGI Pacific team co-hosted a launch event attended by Mr. Jean-Paul Penrose, DFID Regional Representative for the Pacific, British High Commission in Fiji; Director of KOICA’s Fiji and the Pacific Office, Ms. Jihi Kim; and First Secretary of the Australian High Commission, Mr. Ray Bojczuk, and Mr. George Tavo, Deputy Secretary Operations, Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport, Fiji.

“The Fijian Government is demonstrating strong commitment to take action and reduce its emissions and the Fiji Green Jobs Assessment is a vital step to achieve this,” said Deputy Secretary Tavo during his opening remarks.

Linked to the Fiji Low Emission Development Strategy 2018-2050, the Assessment provides a baseline green jobs estimate for selected sectors for 2018 and indicative projections of green jobs for 2030 and 2050 for two LEDS scenarios: BAU-U (Business as Usual-Unconditional) which assumes no additional finance and VHA (Very High Ambition) emissions reductions, with substantial financial implications. The study primarily deals with formal salary and wage employment, with a focus on energy and transport sectors.

It is the first study that attempts to estimate the green employment generation potential in Fiji, while further work will need to be done in future to include other sectors of the LEDS, such as forestry, agriculture and blue carbon.

The Assessment was developed by GGGI with support from the Governments of the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Korea and is part of GGGI’s global green employment program examining the impact of the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions and low emission development strategies and policies on green job creation.

“GGGI has worked with a number of different ministries and agencies to develop this study on green jobs which follows on from the launch of Fiji’s Low Emissions Development Strategy and provides insights into how employment will change in Fiji as the country moves toward its net-zero emissions goal in 2050,” said Ms. Katerina Syngellakis, GGGI Pacific Regional Representative. “With further support from its partners, GGGI hopes to carry out similar studies for other Pacific Island Countries,”

To view the Fiji Green Jobs Assessment report, please click here.