According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), if proper regulations are put in place, a change to a greener economy will result in the creation of 24 million additional jobs worldwide by 2030. With the right initiatives and policies in place, a sizable portion of this green-talent pool can belong to India.
As business leaders, investors, and corporate executives shift their focus toward environmentally sustainable initiatives, the need for a green workforce is on the rise.
‘Green goals’ set by companies are a set of drivers fuelling such programs. An increased focus on effectively deploying Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities will pry out the need to add more ‘green employees’ across various departments. Apart from building sustainable ecosystems, developing new roles such as environment officers, sustainability specialists, energy analysts, design engineers, impact assessment officers, and ESG advisors have also seen traction in cities such as Mumbai and Bangalore.
While most of such jobs revolve around primarily green sectors like electric vehicles (EVs) and clean energy, there has also been an emergence of demand for green jobs in areas like manufacturing, agriculture, packaging, construction, and engineering. The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the newest sectors to start moving in the direction of environmentally friendly practices.
Organic farming is another sector that employs a large number of people, as this particular market has expanded significantly due to increased consumer awareness of food consumption trends, and the growth of the organic food industry as a whole in India.
Environment service and waste management have increased by 458% this May on a month-over-month basis, according to statistics from Monster.com. Pharma & Biotech, which has climbed by 54%, and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) & analytics, which has increased by 42%, have both shown positive recruiting trends for green jobs.
Towards A Green Future
It is estimated that India’s transition to a green economy will generate around 3 million jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2030.
While the demand for these jobs continues to increase, companies must be cognizant of the availability of green talent in India, which currently is slightly restricted. Here is where companies need to upskill existing talent to take up green roles in organisations.
This will result in the creation of a workforce that is equipped to understand the sustainability demands and ensure that both the decarbonization of the economy and conducting business operations goals are met by pursuing ecologically sustainable methods. This will also encourage many industries to make it a standard practice to hire a sizeable percentage of green workers.
Green jobs are the future and an important cog in transitioning to a circular economy. Therefore, organizations need to step up the pedal on green hiring.
