About us
Rigorous, interdisciplinary research on how the green transition is changing work - and what policy can do about it.
About
The LSE Green Skills Lab (LSE GSL) produces policy-relevant research to advance the evidence base on how the net zero transition and digital transformation are reshaping work, skills and opportunity. We bring together expertise in economics, data science, political economy and sociology to examine the implications for workers, firms and regions and for building inclusive and resilient labour markets.
Grounded in academic excellence and oriented towards achieving real-world impact, LSE GSL develops evidence and tools that help policymakers, businesses, trade unions and employer organisations navigate the workforce dimensions of decarbonisation.
Launched in autumn 2025, the LSE Green Skills Lab is hosted by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, with support from the LSE Global School of Sustainability. LSE GSL is led by Misato Sato and Aurélien Saussay.
Our research pillars
1) Green skills measurement
We develop harmonised definitions and real-time metrics for green jobs and skills, designed for comparability across the UK, EU, US and the Global South. These are updated annually through our Global Trends in Green Jobs report, the first of which is due to be published in December 2026.
2) Firms’ green skills demand
We study how green innovation and digitalisation are reshaping what firms do and whom they hire – how skill demands shift as firms adopt low-carbon processes, whether emerging technologies augment or automate labour, and where critical shortages are emerging.
3) Social equity and regional development
We analyse who gains and who loses from the green transition – the reallocation costs and alternative employment options facing workers in transitioning industries, the spatial distribution of green jobs, and the role that trade unions, industrial relations systems and state capacity play in shaping whether decarbonisation narrows or widens inequalities.
Find out how our research informs policy and practice on the Lab impacts page.