With sustainability serious business, green jobs on the rise

A 2024 Capgemini report on global investment trends suggests over 52% of organisations are expected to increase their investments in sustainability in the next two years.

As per TeamLease Digital's Green Industry Outlook, 31% growth in job searches for sustainability roles between April 2022 and 2023. (Image: Freepik)

With sustainability integrated into most companies’ DNA in present times, an increasing number of jobs are being created to manage and operate green measures. Many companies are aggressively promoting green skills and talent as well.  

A 2024 Capgemini report on global investment trends suggests over 52% of organisations are expected to increase their investments in sustainability in the next two years.

Said Sunil Chemmankotil, CEO, Teamlease Digital, which offers specialised staffing and solutions, “Sustainability and green initiatives have become top priorities across sectors, leading to consistent growth in green industries and a rising demand for skilled professionals. The employment outlook in these sectors is optimistic, with a potential for India to generate 35 million green jobs by 2047.”

The TeamLease Digital’s Green Industry Outlook report found that between 2022 and 2023, the share of green talent in the workforce rose by 12.3%, while job postings requiring at least one green skill rose by 22.4%. The rising demand for green jobs saw cities like Delhi-NCR with year-on-year (YoY) growth of 289%, Mumbai (216%) and Bengaluru (174%) driving the change.

As per Vaishali Nigam Sinha, co-founder and chairperson, sustainability, ReNew, a renewable energy company, “Some examples like engineering and technical skills can be employed in eco-building, renewable energy design, and energy-saving R&D projects. Science skills, which are in high demand, are being enlisted during the early stages of the value chains and in the utility sector. Operation management along with monitoring skills for firms operating in polluting sectors are some other instances where green skills can be utilised to a great effect. With companies increasingly transitioning to clean energy, the need for developing these skills and nurturing talent is critical. As governments and businesses around the world race to meet their climate goals, recruiting talent equipped with green skills will be the need of the hour.”

The LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report 2023 suggested a shift to green skills and jobs is underway on the platform, based on the activity of more than 930 million LinkedIn users worldwide. The share of green talent increased from 9.6% in 2015, to 13.3% in 2021 (a growth rate of 38.5%). The LinkedIn 2023 Global Green Skills Report shows that the share of green talent across 48 countries grew by an average of 12.3% between 2022 and 2023, but the proportion of job postings requiring at least one green skill was up by 22.4%.

In green sectors, the TeamLease report showed optimistic findings, with the potential to create 35 million green jobs by 2047, doubling the current count of 18.52 million green jobs in India. A significant driver of this growth is the gig workforce in green jobs, which saw a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2%, surging from 2.9 million in 2022-2023 to an anticipated 7.05 million by 2029-2030.

Aluminium producer Vedanta Aluminium is committed to achieve net zero by 2050, adopting a two-fold strategy of reducing and offsetting carbon footprint. For the brand, green skills take on several forms, ranging from engineering and science skills to operations and analytics.

“Given the vast scope of business, the prospect of deploying personnel with such skill sets is extensive as they can contribute in several areas towards reducing environmental impact—be it by building future-ready power plants, developing energy-efficient tech, decarbonising value chains or augmenting efforts to produce green metal. We have unveiled an EV policy that  provides incentives to encourage adoption of electric vehicles among employees, bringing a sustainable approach into their daily commutes,” said John Slaven, CEO, Vedanta Aluminium.

In the logistics sector, DHL Express is collaborating with partners for sustainable aviation fuels like e-fuels, exploring technologies like electric and hybrid-electric planes for short-haul routes, and piloting electric vehicles. “We have set a target to electrify 60% of last-mile vehicles globally and grow sustainable fuel share in line haul to over 30% by 2030. With nearly 30,000 EVs currently operational worldwide, we also offer a certified GoGreen specialist programme to turn employees into experts in green logistics. By 2025, we want to make at least 80% of all employees certified specialists,” said RS Subramanian, SVP, South Asia, DHL Express.

Godrej & Boyce empowers the next generation for green job profiles, fostering innovation and upskilling through in-house training. “Skilling the employees has catalysed impactful green transformations in mindset and supply chain dynamics. Our workforce possess green skills, underlining our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable development,” said Harpreet Kaur, SVP & head, corporate personnel & administration, Godrej & Boyce.

As per TeamLease Digital’s Green Industry Outlook, 31% growth in job searches for sustainability roles between April 2022 and 2023.

Industries such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) and consulting were found leading the way in hiring for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) roles.

The most sought-after green skills include renewable energy, environmental health safety (EHS), solar energy, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

Source: Financial Express