Green Jobs Are Holding Strong
Green jobs are holding strong.
I was recently invited to participate as a panelist in the 7th Annual Green Jobs Forum, organized by Leaders in Energy.
Our session, facilitated by Beth Offenbacker and shared with William Ellis and Catherine McLean, provided job-seekers the perspective of recruiters in the green sector. This post will talk about the overall green jobs context under COVID-19. A second post will share my tips and tools for job-seekers.
Green America defines a green job as ‘any job that supports environmental and social responsibility. This includes solar panel installers and engineers, organic landscapers, holistic health care providers, advocates for social justice and poverty reduction, socially responsible investment advisors, community organizers, and more.’
There is good news for job-seekers in this sector despite the current situation.
There are around 10 million job openings in the green sector this year (2020), and they are expected to increase. It is estimated that by 2030, the green economy will offer up to 24 million new green jobs.
A recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey of 1,705 HR professionals revealed that 40% reported that their organizations are actively engaged in creating green jobs or readjusting roles to include green duties in existing jobs.
In addition, the ESGx August Green Jobs Report indicates that greener industries have been more resilient throughout the COVID crisis: They showed fewer job losses than extractive industries and other less green sectors, even for high contact jobs; AND average hourly wages remain higher in the greener industries--$38.82 compared to $26.15 in the least green sectors.
What will be the trend in 2021 and beyond? A lot depends on the election results. It is likely that a Democratic president would support the creation of more green jobs, maybe even the equivalent of a new (green) deal.
If you want to learn more about the various types of green jobs, here is a recent article that includes many resources for jobs posts and internships.