Boston's Climate Ready Workforce Action Plan
December 12, 2025
On December 3, 2025, the City of Boston released the Boston Climate Ready Workforce Action Plan (the Plan), an analysis of the workforce needed to achieve the City’s climate goals in four priority areas (building decarbonization, transportation electrification, clean energy, and resilience and nature-based solutions), and a list of recommended strategies to achieve a just transition to a clean energy economy.
The Plan provides data on the number of jobs that will be supported by Boston’s strategies to decarbonize its buildings, provide clean energy to residents, electrify transportation, and make Boston more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Over the next 25 years, the plan estimates that these four priority areas will need 67,000 workers in 45 different occupations – half in trades - each year, 10% of these in net new jobs which would not exist without Boston’s climate policies and strategies. For example, BERDO is estimated to drive $4.41 billion to $8.15 billion in new spending between 2025 and 2030 that will support upwards of 29,000 jobs per year during that timeframe.
The plan also makes a number of recommendations to advance policies and programs in three key areas:
- Removing barriers preventing many Bostonians from accessing training opportunities that could lead to good green jobs by:
- Continuing and expanding ESOL instruction
- Communicating good green jobs opportunities
- Easing access to childcare
- Developing and supporting quality training in Boston, with measures including:
- Funding wraparound services at high-performing training programs
- Engaging employers more directly in training programs
- Developing Boston Public Schools programs that provide pathways to good green jobs
- Enhancing policies and programs to increase their good jobs impact by:
- Using procurement policy to lead the way on good jobs including expanding the use of Project Labor Agreements to create pathways to good jobs and support union apprenticeship programs
- Enhancing and updating enforcement of the Boston Residents Jobs Policy
- Driving good green jobs through engagements with employers such as through BERDO, Payment in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) and institutional master plan discussions with large nonprofit institutions, and residential construction and landscaping jobs
- Continuing to invest in clean energy projects that provide high quality jobs
The report presents data and tools for Boston to build a greener and more inclusive local economy by supporting high-quality education and job training, policy reform, enforcement of standards, and economic incentives. This ensures all Boston residents have access to sustainable, family supporting careers in the growing green economy
For any questions, please contact Yve Torrie.
