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While a significant percentage of the working-age population in Cuba neither works nor seeks employment, and the country experiences one of the worst economic downturns in Latin America, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) announced this Monday the validation of a national methodology for the transition to "green jobs."
The so-called "green jobs" are positions that contribute to protecting the environment, reducing pollution, combating climate change, or making more efficient use of natural resources.
The pilot study was conducted at the Melanio Hernández Agroindustrial Sugar Company (EAA), located in the municipality of Taguasco, province of Sancti Spíritus, where 15 job positions were evaluated to identify, classify, and certify which could be considered "green" according to labor and environmental criteria.
Onixa Mazorra Fuentes, Director of Science and Innovation at MTSS, stated that the exercise "set the groundwork for implementing them in strategic sectors of the Cuban economy."
The methodology, jointly designed by the MTSS and the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (Citma) in coordination with the Sugar Business Group (Azcuba), operates on two axes: the labor axis—which includes formality, fair remuneration, safety, and social dialogue—and the environmental axis, focused on waste management, energy efficiency, and circular economy.
The initiative is part of the international project “Strengthening Policies and Capacities for Green Jobs for Youth,” which is also supported by the Youth Green Jobs Pact, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Children's Fund, along with various Cuban ministries.
According to Mazorra Fuentes, the young participants "were not merely spectators: they divided into groups to co-design transition paths and analyze barriers to their labor market integration."
The lessons from the pilot program in Sancti Spíritus will be replicated in three other sugar companies: Carlos Baliño in Villa Clara; Ciro Redondo in Ciego de Ávila; and Antonio Guiteras in Las Tunas.
The announcement, however, stands in stark contrast to the reality of the Cuban labor market. Cuba ranks last in the regional economic ranking, with a projected GDP decline of 6.5% for 2026 and an accumulated contraction of 26% since 2020.
The average state salary is around 6,930 pesos per month, equivalent to about 15 dollars, a figure insufficient to meet the basic needs of any family.
In March of this year, the MTSS itself was focused on relocating workers due to the halt caused by fuel shortages, not on ecological transition programs.
In this context, the introduction of a "green jobs" methodology— a concept typical of economies in the midst of an energy transition with functional labor markets— is difficult to separate from a public relations exercise that is disconnected from the real urgency faced by Cubans.
The ILO defines green jobs as decent work that contributes to preserving or restoring the environment, based on environmental sustainability and dignified working conditions: fair wages, safety, social protection, and opportunities for development. These are precisely the attributes that are lacking in Cuba in 2026.
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