The number of professionals considered to be 'green talent', ie having the skills required to support the transition to the green economy, has increased by more than a third since 2015.
The latest Labour Market Pulse from IDA Ireland, in partnership with Microsoft Ireland and LinkedIn, show that the amount of green talent on LinkedIn has risen from 9.6% to 13.3%, an increase of some 38.5% between 2015 and 2021.
Similarly, in Ireland alone, 13% of LinkedIn members are considered 'green talent,' including users working in green jobs, requiring skills that enable environmentally sustainable activity, and those that have those skills listed on their profile.
The increases have been driven in part by sustainability-focused jobs, but predominantly by jobs in other sectors with sustainable elements, such as compliance managers or data scientists.
The most popular green skills groups added on LinkedIn in Ireland last year were sustainability, environmental awareness, renewable energy, environment, health and safety (EHS), and environmental science.
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In 2021, approximately 10% of LinkedIn Ireland members hired were in green jobs or jobs that benefited from green skills. Hiring for green jobs almost doubled from 2016 figures.
The proliferation of green jobs has particularly grown since 2019, coinciding with the implementation of climate targets and policies such as the Climate Action Plan.
It is estimated that the Irish economy will need to fill over 20,000 jobs by 2030 to support leading green economy sectors, requiring investment in lifelong learning, training and upskilling initiatives will be key to ensure future demand for green skills is met.
“Ireland is committed to one of the most ambitious climate action plans of any developed country with the aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, and a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030," said Minister for Transport, Climate, Environment & Communications Eamon Ryan.
"Key to guaranteeing a more sustainable and secure future is ensuring we have the right green skills to power the transition to net zero - and the data from LinkedIn highlights that this workforce transition is already underway in Ireland.
"The growing sustainability skillset among Irish professionals coupled with the future demand for talent not only in a range of burgeoning climate sectors - like renewable energy and retrofitting but also in more traditions sectors - indicates the breadth of opportunities ahead in the journey to tackle climate change.”
The report also shows a decline in the hiring rate from post-pandemic highs, although hiring in 2022 is still above both October 2019 (+6.3%) and 2020 (+6.75%). A record 2.55m people are now employed in Ireland, according to the CSO.
IDA Ireland has seen a strong flow of foreign direct investment with several major announcements across sectors and regions and IDA’s recently announced annual results showed further growth in investment and employment in the multinational sector in 2022.
Foreign direct investment is also growing rapidly in the green economy. The renewable energy sector was the biggest recipient of FDI globally in both 2020 and 2021, taking over from coal, oil and gas, which had been the traditional leader.
Commenting on the Labour Market Pulse, Mary Buckley, CEO of IDA Ireland, said: ‘’I welcome the data insights which shows that the green economy is a rapidly growing sector and that the increase in green talent demonstrates the focus that companies are putting on sustainability.
"Despite uncertainty in the global economy, it’s encouraging to see hiring rates of green talent almost double from 2016 and reflects the importance of sustainability.’’
Also commenting on today’s results, James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland site lead and vice president of Microsoft International Operations, said: “The ever growing need to protect the planet is forcing businesses to transform how they operate and to equip their teams with the skills to drive sustainable transformation forward.
"With a recent UCC report commissioned by Microsoft Ireland revealing that only 9% of Irish businesses consider themselves truly sustainable, it is reassuring to see the focus on ‘green’ talent in this latest Labour Market Pulse as it will greatly help to accelerate the transition to a net zero future while harnessing the new business opportunities that the green economy is unlocking.”
Sharon McCooey, head of LinkedIn Ireland, added: “A pronounced shift to green skills and jobs is already underway as evidenced by our latest data and recent IDA projects. With over 20,000 roles to be filled by 2030 in order to meet demand by companies in Ireland hiring for green skills, this presents a sizeable opportunity for businesses and job seekers alike.
"LinkedIn will continue to provide ongoing insights to help future talent, existing professionals and organisations realise the opportunities to come as we transition to a green economy.”
(Pic: Getty Images)
