The term “green collar worker” is increasingly being used to describe people working in green, sustainable or environmental jobs, but there is no standard definition of the term.

This important report by Connection Research examines the different meanings that people have attached to it, and develops a workable definition. The report then develops a taxonomy – a classification – of green collar workers that is a necessary first step to any real analysis of their position.

This report was written with support from the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW (DECC) and the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ).





It is the first step in a larger research project that will determine how many green collar workers there are in Australia and New Zealand, identify them, and reach as many of them as possible through a market research survey that will ask them about such matters as skills availability and skills shortages, technologies being employed, and the demands of their jobs.