Northern Ireland's green economy: An examination of environmentally based employment opportunities

Abstract

Environmentally based economic development and employment opportunities in Northern Ireland are identified and predicted over the medium term to the year 2000. The results show that in 1993 about 1.9% of the total Northern Ireland workforce (11 500 workers) was employed within a ‘green production sector’. Using an innovative economic modelling technique it is suggested that there are significant employment generation opportunities available and a total of up to 15 000 new jobs could be created in Northern Ireland's green economy by the turn of the century. Moreover, and on the basis of these findings, four recommendations are offered which could help maximize the employment potentials afforded by environmental activity.

An examination of employment change in Northern Ireland's environmental industry, 1993–2003

“…The former have perceived environmental programmes as having contributed to the 'killing' of jobs. The latter; the environmentalists' lobbies, have seen 'green' activities stimulating the economy, safeguarding existing employees' positions and creating new jobs (Eastwood et al, 1995). In the second half of the 1990s, we entered a phase where both business organizations and trade unions again questioned the influence of the environment on jobs.…”

Making Ecopreneurs: Developing Sustainable Entrepreneurship (2nd ed.)

“…Eaton and Stark (1999), that has received more attention. The environmental sector or the “green economy” has been identified in a number of regions as a key generator of employment (for example, Eastwood et al , 2006). But it is start ups, rather than existing firms adopting “green logic” (Isaak, 1998) that arguably could generate the most jobs if we adopt a Birchian perspective on small firms' job creation potential (Birch, 1987).…”