The Demand For Green Skills

Want a new job? Get some green skills.

According to a new LinkedIn report, people with sustainability knowledge are in global demand.

By now, you should be in no doubt that sustainability is good for the environment. But did you know that it could also work wonders for your career? A new report from online networking site LinkedIn has found that the global hiring rate for workers with skills that can directly combat climate change is 54.6% greater than the overall hiring rate. If you’re job searching in the UK, that percentage raises even higher to 72%.

A green job is defined as one that has sustainability at its core and cannot be performed without knowledge of green skills. If you have that knowledge then you’re in big demand – in order to meet the commitments made by governments, organisations and companies to reduce their emissions and slow down the rate of climate change by 2050, the talent pool for green jobs has to double. But while the amount of green jobs around the world increased by 11.6% in the last year, the number of candidates only increased by 5.6%.

Gaining The Knowledge

While having a working knowledge of sustainability will stand you in good stead for many careers, there are certain skills that will enable you to swiftly walk into a rewarding job with recruiters welcoming you with open arms. In the UK, there has been a marked acceleration in the adoption of building performance skills (up 5,149%), decarbonisation (up 1,818%) and responsible sourcing (up 498%).

To feed this demand, many universities and colleges offer a wide range of courses, from a degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Bangor to the University of Stirling’s long-running MSc in Environmental Management. That’s in addition to the Open University’s portfolio of environmental courses, including Working with our Environment: Technology for a Sustainable Future, and modules that lead to an Environmental Studies degree.

Many experts are also predicting that within a few years, most jobs will require an understanding of climate change. “A place to start with all jobs will soon be basic climate fluency,” explains Efrem Bycer, who works on sustainability partnerships at LinkedIn. “That means knowing what climate change is, how it’s affecting the world and how it’s affecting your industry and function.”

The Economic Advantage

As well as the vital benefits to the world’s eco-systems, a better understanding of the environment will also provide a huge boost to its economy. According to the World Economic Forum, moving to a nature-positive model by 2030 would add 395 million jobs globally and unlock £7.5tr in business opportunities.

But in order to achieve that economic boost, governments and companies need to give their workers the essential knowledge they require to keep up with the new technology, processes and solutions designed to reverse climate change.

“Every climate goal around the world is at risk if we don’t have a workforce that can deliver the change we urgently need,” says Sue Duke, VP of Public Policy and Economic Graph at LinkedIn. “The economic opportunity is there and a promising skills-based pathway exists. This year is an inflection point for our planet as countries and companies write new climate commitments; they must include explicit investments in the green workforce.”

To read the LinkedIn report, go to bit.ly/LinkedIn-Green-jobs-report