With an eye on attaining 500-gigawatt clean energy target by 2030, India has been seeing significant investments being ploughed into the green sector as compared to the conventional fuel-based projects. This, in turn, has sent green jobs spinning upwards recording an increase of 81% year-on-year (YoY), says a report by foundit, formerly Monster (APAC & ME).
According to the report, metropolitan cities saw a substantial rise in green job postings, with Delhi-NCR leading the trend at 289% YoY, followed by Mumbai at 216% YoY and Bengaluru at 174% YoY.
“This surge can be attributed to the growing emphasis on creating a green economy in urban India, which has increased the demand for skilled talent in various sectors, including corporate services, software, education, and construction,” the company said. Individuals skilled in corporate social responsibility and sustainability are particularly in high demand, it added.
Green jobs are not specific to some set of roles and skills; instead a fresh and innovative approach towards employment, explained Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit. Potentially, every job can become green if it is making a decent living while restoring the ecosystem. Every sector is making an effort towards a sustainable environment.
According to foundit's estimates from the monthly employment index, India currently employs 20% of its workforce in green jobs, which is expected to reach 40% by 2030
Urbanisation creating new roles in sustainability sector
Individuals skilled in corporate social responsibility and sustainability are particularly in high demand. Air quality, waste management, land degradation, and clean transport segments, also saw an uptick in demand. Among job roles, sustainability manager roles accounted for the maximum demand (26%) as companies across construction and manufacturing consciously try to take stock of the environmental impact of their activities. Other roles in demand included environmental consultants (11%), ESG analysts (17%), safety specialists (15%), and design engineers (9%).
The talent platform also stated that 64% month-on-month (MoM) growth was reflected in green job postings, with industries such as industrial products, heavy machinery, and waste management hosting the maximum share in hiring demand.
Both private and public sector companies have begun integrating ESG practices into their business operations, the report noted.
“With an allocation of Rs 35,000 crore of priority capital investment towards achieving net zero by 2070, the commitment towards addressing climate change and building a sustainable future is evident. India’s solar and wind energy sectors are adding thousands of workers to new projects and will continue to create steady employment opportunities,” said Garisa.
Auto Industry and Waste Management sectors saw all-time high demand
Environmental service and waste management industries and automobile industry witnessed maximum growth in hiring activity with annual growth of 1,765% and 307%. Focus of cities on handling solid waste management and proactive measures being taken to cap transport emissions and reduce carbon footprint have contributed to this growth.
Additionally, the demand for green professionals was also reported high for industries including chemicals, petrochemicals, plastics, and rubber (220%), fast moving consumer goods (42%) and construction (30%).
Demand-supply mismatch remains a concern
As industries look to tackle sustainability issues, the report highlighted an urgent need to create a workforce adept in newer skills, many of which are related to technology.
“However, the enormous demand for green jobs is quickly outpacing the availability of skilled talent required in these fields. Hence, consistent and intelligent upskilling and development are crucial to creating an efficient green workforce in the coming months,” Garisa added.
”Today's workforce needs to upskill to meet the rising demand as organisations scout for skilled talent in AI, automation, IoT, and other emerging tech,” the report said.
To meet the needs of the future, an expansive and inclusive curriculum focused on climate tech, green entrepreneurship, and sustainability is imperative, the report suggested.
With the increasing awareness and adaptability towards the green ecosystem, green HR practices are en route too.
Explaining how HR and hiring practices should be altered to meet the new demands, Garisa said, "to develop such a framework, strict recruitment policies, including performance appraisals are becoming part of the evaluation process for environmental awareness and sustainable use of resources by individuals." Therefore a conventional hiring management system is shifting towards GHRM (green human resource management), which will help organisations create a green workforce to achieve green culture, which includes recycling, preserving and achieving sustainable solutions, he added.
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