The Greening World of Work
The demand for green jobs and skills is accelerating rapidly, with 70% of employers globally reporting that they are currently recruiting or planning to actively recruit for these roles. ManpowerGroup’s latest global insights report, “The Greening World of Work 2023 Outlook,” reveals that many roles, from logistics to fashion, will be impacted by the greening of jobs. There is an urgent need for employers to rethink how they hire, train, retain and engage green talent to gain a competitive edge.
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. The report underscores the importance of substantial investments in training and development to upskill the workforce for the green economy.
- Consumer-driven shift: 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, prioritising 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 galvanising businesses to adopt net zero commitments. As a result, 58% of Fortune 500 CEOs have now set ambitious net zero emissions targets, a significant increase from 36% in 2021.
The foundation of this global green business transformation is a skilled and innovative workforce. The ManpowerGroup Greening World of Work report examines how business leaders can future-proof their operations by embracing the transition to a green economy.
