Sustainability Jobs : The future is Green Collars
 

Girl blowing dandelionsA new employment sector has emerged, and it is booming. A recent report prepared by the CSIRO for the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), predicts that the implementation of an Australian emissions trading scheme (AETS) will create around three million ‘Green collar’ jobs by 2015. Modelling from the report, titled “Growing the Green Collar Economy,” shows that post AETS introduction, long term employment figures are expected to increase to levels higher than present, with growth between 2.6 and 3.3 million jobs by 2025.

 “By 2050, if not well before, most jobs will be varying shades of green” (CSIRO report, 2008). New green collar jobs are expected to be created in renewable energy, construction of green buildings and appliances and developing alternative transport. The federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong said “this (report) reminds us that there are enormous economic opportunities from responding to climate change, and reminds us that as part of that economic reform, governments have to tackle a whole range of issues including skills.”

This is not just an Australian phenomenon either, in 2007 the growing Green Collar sector was the fifth largest market sector in the US, and both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama pledged to provide federal money for job training initiatives so that workers could become skilled in green industries. A report commissioned by the American Solar Industry also predicts that the 8.5 million jobs in the US renewable-energy and energy-efficiency industries could grow to as many as 40 million by 2030.

Satisfaction gained from making a positive difference, or helping to mitigate the effects of climate change are not the only benefits of applying your skills in the green collar sector, the financial rewards can also be quite attractive. As highlighted in an article titled “Switching to Green-Collar Jobs,” from www.BusinessWeek.com: “The burgeoning industry is claiming scores of experienced workers who can put to use the skills they’ve acquired in more established fields such as construction, finance, and marketing. In some cases, the high demand for green career-changers translates into a larger pay check.”

With a warming climate, shifting stakeholder expectations and drastic legislative changes around the corner, the long term success of many industries means that they must adapt to the changing environment in which they operate. Companies of all kinds will be looking for the right employees to help them along this path. “Companies can only succeed in the long-term if they recruit and motivate people who are able to respond to and shape the challenges of the future. These are the individuals with the capacity to create competitive advantage from the opportunities presented by changing markets, with the desire to learn from customers, consumers, suppliers and colleagues, and who possess the ability to build and influence long-lasting and effective partnerships” (Dedicated to Making a Difference, World Business Council for Sustainable Development).

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