GAIN

Launching of the GAIN Training Guidebook during the 3rd GAIN Conference

The third GAIN Conference, which followed the Global Forum on Just Transition, gave a tribune for researchers and policy makers to exchange on research methods and country experiences to evaluate the impact of transitioning towards greener economy.

News | 01 February 2018
Contact(s): greenjobs@ilo.org
During the first session of the conference the GAIN Training Guidebook (2017) was launched. The guidebook provides a methodology on How to Measure and Model Social and Employment Outcomes of Climate and Sustainable Development Policy, explained Ms Ulrike Lehr, Chair of GAIN and Senior Economist at the Institute of Economic Structures Research in Germany (GWS).

It is structured in 4 learning modules. The first part is on policy and why assessments are crucial for evidence based policy making. In a second part it shows the statistical concepts and measurement of employment and environmental sectors of green jobs, and defines the concept of green jobs for statistical measurement. The two last modules explain with a more technical approach how to expand conventional Input and Output tables to feature green industries and jobs, how to build simple employment projection models and develop Social Accounting matrixes, among others (to see the Training Guidebook click here).

The second session of the conference offered a tribune for researchers to present their work on assessment and modelling approaches in the context of transitioning toward environmentally sustainable economies. Country’s case studies, impacts on sectors and modelling tools were showcased, for example Joaquim Bento de Souza Ferreita Filho from the University of Sao Paulo, explained the socio-economic impact of deforestation control in Brazil.

The research’s results made it clear that a just transition toward an environmentally sustainable future does have the potential to create decent work opportunities but must take into account job losses. Social protection is key to buffer impacts and enable a transition of the workforce to greener economic industries. Vicente Yu, Deputy Executive Director of the South Centre, underlined that south-south cooperation in climate change plays an important role. It is essential for countries to build the capacity of their national institutions through tools such as the GAIN training guidebook. This would allow them to further develop their modelling and planning tools and design policies aligned to their national development priorities.