There could be a 50% increase in green jobs in the next 3 years. Are jobseekers and employers prepared?
Green jobs have already grown at an astonishing speed over the past 5 or so years. It’s already to the point where there’s a skills gap and employers are struggling to find enough workers. That could be exacerbated even more in a relatively short period of time, though. LinkedIn has projected that the amount of green jobs available may overshadow the number of skilled workers available to fill those roles exponentially by 2026.
More Green Jobs Than We Can Handle
LinkedIn expects there to be a 50% increase in this surplus of green jobs from 2021, when green jobs were already on an upward trajectory. This is where it warned about a “supply and demand problem on the horizon.”
The issue is that LinkedIn’s report was based on 2021 data, meaning it’s even more urgent now for the green skills gap to be addressed — and fast. Already, employers have turned to alternative solutions to meet their hiring needs for jobs in sustainability. Some have embraced apprenticeships, internships, and other programs to bring willing workers onboard and provide on-the-job training to resolve the skills gap.
This could suggest that the projections about demand outpacing supply are already well on the way to becoming a reality, and will likely continue until and unless more efforts are made to address it.
Green Skills Needed in Unexpected Places
The good news, though, is that green skills are on the rise. Those skills aren’t just needed in traditional green roles, either, as an increasing number of businesses require green skills to facilitate the global transition to clean energy.
In fact, LinkedIn’s data found that 1% of hires are in traditional green jobs. Almost 10% were in fields it called ‘greening jobs’ — those that could be performed without green skills but usually needed at least some level of it.
“Most jobs requiring green skills are not 'traditional' green jobs,” LinkedIn noted. “Beyond solar panel installers and electric car manufacturers, green skills are increasingly required in sustainable fashion, fleet management and sales.”
For example, one of the fastest-growing fields is sustainable design. While jobs in this field require green skills, the roles themselves are rooted in architecture and engineering. Even in the public sector, green skills are needed for jobs like Policy Advisor on specific matters.
While it could mean green jobs have to compete with “greening jobs” for talent, it’s also an indicator that more and more people are acquiring green jobs to keep up with new workforce expectations.
That could also mean that more people will soon be equipped with the green skills to hopefully stave off a severe labor shortage in the green economy and help fill the enormous amount of jobs the industry keeps on churning out.