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Europe’s cycling industry now employs more people than mining and quarrying and almost twice as many as the steel industry, according to a study.
The study, titled “Jobs and job creation in the European cycling sector”, about 655,000 people are employed in the cycling industry including in bicycle production, tourism, and retail, and infrastructure as compared to 615,000 in mining and quarrying. The study was commissioned by European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), an umbrella federation of organisations which promote cycling as healthy means of transportation and recreation in Europe.
The study notes that in comparison Europe’s steel industry employs only 350,000 people, according to the data given by the European Steel Association.
The study says that if cycling’s 3 per cent share of journeys across Europe were doubled, the number of people employed in the sector could grow to over one million by 2020.
The study will be published next month.
In an article on the study, British newspaper The Guardian quoted Kevin Mayne, development director at the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), as calling the study a message for government and local authorities.
“You know that investing in cycling is justified from your transport, climate change and health budgets. Now we can show clearly that every cycle lane you build and every new cyclist you create is contributing to job growth. Investing in cycling provides a better economic return than almost any other transport option. This should be your first choice every time,” Mayne said in the news report.
The Guardian also quoted Julian Scola, a spokesman for the European Trade Union Confederation. “This report is another example of the way that a transformation to a green, low-carbon economy can create jobs with the appropriate investment. There needs to be investment in various kinds of transport infrastructure, including cycling,” Scola told the daily.