The focus on energy transition: new jobs instead of coal - how does change succeed?

The focus on energy transition: new jobs instead of coal - how does change succeed?

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - The energy transition is drawing bigger and bigger circles! While US President Donald Trump wants to force the expansion of fossil fuels with the motto "Drill, Baby Drill", a green agenda prevails in many countries. According to a report in the correspondent magazine "worldwide", which will be broadcast on ORF 2 on February 28, 2025 at 9:20 p.m. Patrick A. Hafner, Jörg Winter and Benedict Feichtner shed light on the challenges and opportunities that arise from the transition to renewable energies. The coal mining areas in India, which are among the largest worldwide, have understood in a drastic upheaval. Four million people who rely on the cabbage industry are faced with the challenge of getting used to new working conditions, while massive solar systems are being built in the country.

In the UK, on ​​the other hand, the offshore wind farms from the sea sprout, as Jörg Winter documented in Hull. These new jobs bring a breath of fresh air to regions that have suffered from the economic decline for decades. But the positive developments are not limited to the British space: in the Swedish city of Kiruna, where large occurrences of rare earths have recently been discovered, hundreds of new jobs will be expected in the near future. But Kiruna faces the great challenge of generating enough influx to take advantage of these opportunities, a task that is difficult by extreme weather conditions.

urgent shortage of skilled workers in the energy transition

But where should the necessary workers come from? Therefore, the question of securing skilled workers in Germany is explosive. According to an expert interview with Weber, the highest shortage of labor has been recorded since the economic miracle. In order to close the gaps in the labor market, measures for better compatibility of work and family life as well as a focus on the qualification of older workers are required. "We have to adjust the job profiles so that older employees can stay in the job longer," says Weber. He also sees investments in the infrastructure and an improvement in training conditions as crucial to use the potential of young people and to make the transition to renewable energies sustainable.

ots.at and Br.de report on these far-reaching developments.