Mobilising Asia Pacific Talent for the Clean Economy
A new discussion paper, Mobilising Asia Pacific Talent, explores one of the most pressing challenges facing Australia and Southeast Asia: how to build and mobilise the workforce needed to support the transition to a clean economy.
The paper highlights the scale of the opportunity and challenge ahead. Up to 30 million clean economy jobs are expected to be created in Southeast Asia by 2030, yet current workforce growth is not keeping pace with demand. Without coordinated action, significant skills shortages could constrain progress across the region.
It outlines how the nature of work is rapidly changing, driven by digitalisation, new technologies and increasingly cross-border ways of working. Clean economy jobs are becoming more interconnected, multidisciplinary and reliant on shared standards, requiring a workforce that can operate across sectors, value chains and national boundaries.
However, a range of structural barriers continue to limit workforce mobility and development. These include fragmented qualification systems, inconsistent standards, restrictive visa and licensing requirements, and a lack of alignment between education and industry needs.
In response, the paper sets out a series of practical pathways to build a more coordinated regional approach. Key recommendations include improving skills recognition across countries, developing shared taxonomies for green skills, strengthening industry–education collaboration, enabling more flexible labour mobility, and establishing a regional taskforce to drive collective action.
Ultimately, the paper argues that unlocking the full potential of the clean economy will depend on deeper collaboration between government, industry and education across the Asia Pacific — and on treating workforce development as critical infrastructure for the transition.
