According to LinkedIn’s first-ever report on the state of the green economy, workers around the world are greening their resumes, but not as fast as environmental jobs are opening up.

“Green talent” – which the jobs platform defines as members working in relevant jobs or advertising their green skills – has increased by around 6% each year since 2015, while job vacancies green jobs increased by 8%.

This shift towards sustainable careers is happening alongside what LinkedIn calls the “big shakeup” – a historic transformation of how, where and why people work.

“Achieving our collective global climate goals is a monumental task and it will take an economy-wide effort to get there,” said Sue Duke, LinkedIn’s head of global public policy.

Although the share of green talent among the platform’s 800 million profiles has increased by nearly 40% over the past six years, Duke says we’re still far from the level of skills or jobs required to meet the goals. from Europe.

And disturbing gaps are appearing in this wider disconnect – including a serious gender issue. In 2021, there were 62 women per 100 men considered green talent, no improvement from 2015 figures.

The report has important policy implications for how we develop workers and train future generations, Duke adds. Here are some of the key takeaways from the inaugural survey.

Where are the signs of green growth, according to LinkedIn?

According to the report, wind turbine technicians and solar consultants are among the fastest growing green jobs of the future.

Unsurprisingly, the energy sector is experiencing one of the biggest transitions in terms of the workforce. In the United States, jobs in renewable energy have soared 237% over the past five years, while jobs in the oil and gas sector have increased by 19%. At this rate, LinkedIn predicts the former will overtake fossil fuel roles by 2023.

In manufacturing, the European automotive industry is also seeing an increase in green talent, up more than 11% year-on-year, as the electric vehicle industry explodes.

‘Sustainable Fashion‘ was the fastest growing green skill in the world, with an average growth rate of almost 91% between 2016 and 2020. It seems that traditional fashion jobs – such as fashion designers, retailers and stylists – are increasingly applying sustainable fashion skills to their business. models.

It’s undoubtedly become trendier to show your enduring credentials, but hopefully it reflects real-world craftsmanship as well, as the label is spreading into other sectors too – from media to non-profits. and computer services.

Sustainability manager was the fastest growing green role overall, at 30%, with positions in wind and solar up 24% and 23% respectively.

But radical green change isn’t just happening in key sustainability areas like ecosystem management, environmental policy, and pollution prevention, Duke writes in Politics. “In fact, the vast majority of green skills are used in jobs outside of the traditional green sphere – jobs like fleet manager, data scientist and healthcare worker.”

Who benefits from the green transition and how to close the gaps?

Green jobs are on the rise, but the report reveals some worrying trends in who qualifies for them. “Our data shows that we have persistent inequalities not just between countries, but also by gender, demographics and education,” the authors say.

This is a major stumbling block globally’just transition‘. Green talent grew by only 18% in low-income countries between 2015 and 2021, compared to 39% in high-income countries. Worse, the relative hiring rate of green talent (LinkedIn’s way of comparing successful green job searches to its total hiring rate) has slowed in low-income countries like Bangladesh since 2020.

These are, of course, the countries that have contributed the least to climate change – and they now risk being left behind as wealthier countries hone in on green industries designed to solve the crisis.

Analyzing the green economy by gender, LinkedIn found that the share of female green talent has increased since 2015, but still lags behind male green talent. Over the past six years, 66% of transitions to green jobs have been made by men.

Cyprus, Malta, Ireland and the Netherlands are among the European countries closing the gender gap fastest.

Although efforts are needed to prevent older, experienced professionals from being left behind, it is more encouraging to note that the green skills of young people – especially millennials – are developing the fastest.

“LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report provides actionable insights that can be a catalyst for the job and skills transformations that are critical to nurturing the next generation of green talent,” Duke adds.

“We applaud EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel’s work to put green skills high on the agenda, and LinkedIn will play our part in delivering the EU’s ambition to provide Europe’s youth with a clean, green future. “