As the world faces pressing environmental challenges, the pursuit of Environmental, Social, and Governance objectives has become paramount in fostering a sustainable future for both the planet and the economy.
At the heart of this transition lies a crucial asset – Green Talent.
The demand for green jobs and skills continues to accelerate rapidly, with 70% of employers globally reporting they are currently recruiting or planning to actively recruit for these roles, according to ManpowerGroup‘s latest Global Insights report, “The Greening World of Work 2023 Outlook”.
Key findings include
Future Job Landscape: 55% of business leaders surveyed predict investments in green business transformation and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) will surpass technology and other megatrends as the primary job creators in the next five years. The transition is expected to create up to 30 million new green jobs globally by 2030.
Green Job Surge: Across a spectrum of industries, there is significant interest to recruit green talent within Manufacturing & Production (36%) and Operations & Logistics (31%). However, this interest also extends to domains like IT & Data (30%), Sales & Marketing (27%), Engineering (26%), Administration & Office Support (25%), and Human Resources (25%).
Skills Gap and Innovation: Despite this wave of demand, 94% of companies acknowledge a lack of talent needed to meet their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. Addressing this challenge, the report underscores the importance of substantial investments in training and development to upskill the workforce for the green economy.
Consumer-Driven Shift: The report highlights that within the last year, 49% of global consumers opted to pay a premium for sustainable products. Notably, it's the Gen Z demographic that takes the lead in demonstrating a strong preference for sustainability, with 75% of Gen Z individuals saying when it comes to making purchases, prioritizing sustainability outweighs brand considerations.
Governmental Momentum: Government incentives, such as the European Union’s €225 billion Green Deal Industrial Plan and the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act providing $369 billion for clean energy, are galvanizing businesses to adopt net zero commitments. As a result, the research reveals that 58% of Fortune 500 CEOs have now set ambitious net zero emissions targets, a significant increase from 36% in 2021.
To learn more, download The Greening World of Work 2023 Outlook report by filling out the form below.