Chongqing- Over the next decade, millions of new jobs will be created globally due to current and future climate policies and commitments. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 24 million jobs worldwide could be created by the green economy by 2030 alone.

China released 134 added green positions 

Seeing the global green talent development, China has recently released a new occupational classification system with 158 newly added positions compared to the 2015 edition, with a total of 134 green positions marked in the occupational system this time, accounting for 8% of the total.

Information about China's new occupational classification system. (iChongqing/ Chen Zhan)

This is a new track to achieve the dual carbon goals in China, referring to the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, said Lin Yong, vice president of Chongqing Institute of Talent Development and professor at Chongqing University. 

In the new version of the occupational system, a series of new jobs are included for the first time, including carbon management engineers and technicians, carbon emissions managers, carbon sink measurement appraisers, comprehensive energy service staff, energy conservation building and emission reduction consultants, and coal quality workers, etc.

Taking carbon emissions managers as an example, their responsibilities include monitoring, statistical accounting, verification, trading, and consulting of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions for enterprises and institutions, also known as "carbon stewards."

Interestingly, part of their job also involves issuing Seal of Approval licenses to suitable community carbon projects run by NGOs, which allows other organizations to support promising projects through carbon finance.

Meanwhile, the wetland conservation and restoration technician position are also selected for the new edition due to its important role in water conservation, water purification, flood storage, drought resistance, climate regulation, and biodiversity maintenance.

Lin believes that as green occupations keep emerging, they will cover many fields, like new energy development and utilization, ecological environment management, and modern and efficient agriculture. They will expand new paths and spaces for employment, steadily boosting economic and social development. 

Further demands in technological innovation and progress

Considering an occupational system can reflect the actual situation and changing trends of social and occupational development, it is a "barometer" showing a country's economic and social development.

Information about China's new occupational classification system. (iChongqing/ Chen Zhan)

Whether a new occupation will be selected into the occupational system is based on its independence, stability, and grouping. 

According to Liu Junzhen, a professor at Nankai University Business School, independence measures whether the occupation is new enough; stability indicates whether there is enough room for development; grouping, reflecting the size of the employees, means whether it can stimulate employment.

The 158 newly added positions also involve artificial intelligence (AI) trainers, carbon managers, accompanying doctors, e-learning specialists, and other new jobs, with fields spanning manufacturing engineering, digital economy, and modern agriculture.

"Through the new occupations' expansion, both employment channels and practitioners' space are broadened," said Lin. "The expansion also illustrates two signals: the new trend of industrial upgrading and the direction of future employment development."

From Lin's view, this represents the new demands brought by technological innovation, technological progress, and industrial upgrading to the society, which has strong competitiveness.

(Yang Qinmei, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)