Sigue: Ready for care and green jobs?

Sigue: Ready for care and green jobs?

THE care and green economy. Let us discuss the skills in these two important areas or jobs that will continuously thrive in the coming years. These past two weeks, I have already shared the discussion on six skills areas around jobs of the future. The Global Skills Index 2021 released by Coursera a few weeks ago made a summary of the Skills Areas of The Future outlined by a recent study of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

For this final installment of the WEF study, I will share about jobs in the care economy (supporting the well-being of our communities) and green economy (building a sustainable future).

Care economy or care work encompasses a range of sectors such as education, health, and social work involving teachers, nurses, community health workers, social workers, and domestic workers. The world's population is living longer than at any other time in history. Populations of all countries are aging. Even in countries that currently have comparatively high fertility rates but lower life expectancy at birth. Provision of care for persons with short-term or with chronic illnesses or disabilities also need to be considered. Care for the elderly and the sick often falls on women and girls.

The entry-level target job is contact tracer, while the top jobs are medical transcriptionists, physical therapist aides, radiation therapists, medical assistants and medical equipment preparers. The top fields of study are health professions, social sciences, biological sciences, arts and humanities and business.

The green economy is defined as an economy that aims at making issues of reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. By 2030, 24 million new jobs will be created globally if the right policies to promote a greener economy are put in place. Today, 1.2 billion jobs rely directly on the effective management and sustainability of a healthy environment.

The top jobs are wind turbine technicians, green marketers, biofuels processing technicians, solar energy installation managers and water resource specialists.

The key learning areas for entry-level green economy roles are greenhouse gases and carbon footprints, climate risk and issues like food security, different responses to climate change, sustainable agriculture and pollution control, renewable energy and systems transformation.

Republic Act No. 10771 or the Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016 mandates the need to identify needed skills, develop training programs, and train and certify workers for jobs in a range of industries that produce goods and render services for the benefit of the environment, conserve natural resources for the future generation, and ensure the sustainable development of the country and its transition into a green economy. In recognition of the participation of individuals and business enterprises in jobs creation, the state shall provide incentives therefore.

The law defines green jobs as employment that contributes to preserving or restoring the quality of the environment, be it in the agriculture, industry or services sector. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity, reduce energy, materials and water consumption through high efficiency strategies, decarbonize the economy, and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution.

Green jobs are decent jobs that are productive, respect the rights of workers, deliver a fair income, provide security in the workplace and social protection for families, and promote social dialogue.

Green economy refers to one which is low-carbon and resource-efficient, and results in the generation of green jobs and in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.

Green goods and services refer to goods and services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources, and may include research and development, installation and maintenance services, green technologies refer to the development and application of products, equipment and systems used to conserve the environment and natural resources.

For the purpose of encouraging business enterprises to generate and sustain green jobs as certified by the Climate Change Commission, business enterprises shall enjoy special deduction from the taxable income equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the total expenses for skills training and research development expenses which is over and above the allowable ordinary and necessary business deductions for said expenses under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997; and tax and duty free importation of capital equipment. The capital equipment is actually, directly and exclusively used in the promotion of green jobs of the business enterprise.

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