Is the Employment Spotlight Shifting In Tandem With Global Climate Change?

As discussions continue worldwide, the main topic of concern is carbon emissions. As a community, we have the opportunity to address not only climate change but concerns for human inequality and an inclusive green environment. Human talent is essential to continue the health of the Earth's evolution; with specialist training and a suitably educated workforce, regeneration will be possible. By encouraging human talent, we can address a globally healthier economy and greener skills in existing and new jobs.

Green Economy Skills Transition

The Adecco Group recently released a white paper that draws upon their international expertise, clearly illustrating the required skills needed to move towards a green economy. The paper states that development needs and skills investment is the deciding factor that will enable the transition and achieve a fair and equitable evolutionary process. 

The energy and automotive sectors are already undergoing drastic changes to their established business models and the skills required to embrace a sustainable workforce and a greener future. The observations within the white paper include a set of recommended actions to secure the appropriate skills landscape for a green economy, encouraging market stakeholders to realise their expectations and responsibilities. The report also highlights that 85 per cent of these jobs, with numbers equivalent to Germany's entire population, have yet to be invented. Already demand for such talent outweighs supply; whilst challenging, inventing new jobs will create unprecedented demands for future employment.

Net Zero Realities

The carbon neutrality commitment requires significant changes to business operations. Employers must reimagine the training and reskilling of their global workforce and understand the urgent actions needed to bridge the necessary gaps. Employers could create millions of new jobs within the next decade with significant reskilling investment and encourage new entrants into the green economy workplace, lifting millions of people from poor communities out of poverty.

Although thousands of companies are already making carbon neutrality commitments, most still need to gain the requisite knowledge and skills to achieve them. To achieve sustainability goals, companies must have the expertise, specialised hard and software, accurate data analysis, and how to present sustainability messaging to specific markets through various communication channels. 

Sustainability Upskilling

To create intelligent job designs, companies should employ sustainable competencies to ensure they are heading in the right direction. For example, employees don't necessarily need sustainability degrees or social responsibility experience; they must be encouraged to upskill. Attracting new environmentally-passionate candidates that are the right-minded fit is essential to growing a green company. Recruitment goes way beyond publishing the roles; candidates genuinely passionate about creating a sustainable environment will review a company’s sustainability commitments, so any messaging must be transparent and concise with commitments and achievements to date; remember that candidates today are all too familiar with greenwashing. 

Companies can conduct audits for the skills required to achieve their sustainability goals and the people that will help to accomplish objectives. Understanding any skills gap will allow companies to introduce upskilling and reskilling programmes, provide goals management and individualised learning, drive employee engagement and retention, and achieve sustainability objectives.

CSR or corporate social responsibility teams oversee a company’s environmental and social initiatives. They will be hugely important in supporting the green transition and providing a seamless approach when combining societal, environmental, and business challenges. As time progresses, companies will be impacted not only by their talent shortages but with their partners. Recognising future talent shortages is within their immediate interests by providing the proper education and partnerships. In September 2022, SAP, UNICEF and GenU expanded their partnership to help young people gain skills for employment with a new pilot programme supporting 'learning to earning' pathways in green and digital economies, allowing marginalised youngsters to learn new skills they need to flourish and become employable. 

Gen Z and beyond

The consequences of climate change and other global disasters, such as the recent pandemic, often affect the world’s poorest communities, which has a hugely detrimental impact on ecological and economic systems. Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer of GenU, explained,  “Today’s young people are three times more likely than adults to be unemployed, which makes for a very uncertain future for all of us. To keep up with the ever-changing demands of the labour market, young people need a full set of skills to compete locally and globally. Together we will support even more young people worldwide to unlock opportunities”. The programme will give young adults a pathway to a successful career, workplace experience, coaching and mentorship to help them launch their careers, earn a wage and live a prosperous life. 

The green transition offers unique opportunities to create a future-proof workforce for future generations. According to PwC, The World Economic Forum’s Youth Recovery Plan 2021 states that almost half of the young people believe they need a suitable skill set to guarantee an adequate job over the next decade. PwC’s 2021 Hopes and Fears Survey also shows that employees are worried about their job security, with at least a third of workers anxious about the future. This PwC study also found that 77% of employees are ready to learn new skills or completely retrain in response to new technologies in the workplace. 

World governments have the opportunity to address climate change and provide a significant drive for the creation of green jobs. Governments, stakeholders and the private sector, including their workers and employers, must embrace the change and the opportunities that come with the transition to a greener economy and a future that works for everyone. ​​​