Mapping Workforce Skills for the Green Transition: A Systematic Literature Review and Identification of Skill Gaps

Abstract

Purpose - This study aims to identify the skills and competencies required by the workforce in the context of the green transition (RQ1), to conceptualize and categorize them within the existing literature (RQ2), and to identify skill gaps along with their implications for workforce development and TVET (RQ3). Method - A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) based on the PRISMA 2020 protocol was conducted through a search of the Scopus database (2023-2026). Staged selection by two independent reviewers produced adequate inter-rater reliability (Cohen's Kappa: k = 0.841 at the title stage; k = 0.722 at the abstract stage). Of 130 identified articles, 39 met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis using the framework method was applied with a four-dimension, 14-sub-category codebook. Findings - Coding produced 270 code occurrences across 39 articles (average 6.92 codes per article). Adaptability and Lifelong Learning (TR-02) was the most dominant code (94.9%), surpassing technical renewable energy skills (74.4%). Six gap typologies were identified: quantitative, qualitative, spatial, temporal, institutional, and inclusion. Research Implications - The use of a single database (Scopus) and the restriction to English-language publications should be considered when interpreting the findings. Generalization is limited to the context of the 2023-2026 literature reviewed. Originality - This study proposes a four-dimensional taxonomy (Technical, Transversal, Digital-Green, Managerial) as an empirically operationalized bridging framework that integrates and reorganizes prior green skills frameworks for cross-study comparison, and produces a six-gap typology as a diagnostic tool for TVET policy designers, particularly in developing country contexts.