Green Jobs: Hot Jobs for a Cooler Climate
| LinkedIn Analysis of Green Job Posting in 2020 | Growth |
| Traditional green jobs | |
| Energy Analyst | 88% |
| Transportation Engineer | 47% |
| Facilities Operations Manager | 31% |
| Geologist | 19% |
| Health Safety Environmental Supervisor | 10% |
| Nontraditional green jobs | |
| Customer Service Representative | 71% |
| Sales Representative | 62% |
| Warehouse Specialist | 45% |
| Compliance Manager | 31% |
| Quality Inspector | 16% |
The pandemic has caused many to reflect on what is important in life, including work choices. Perhaps you or someone you know is wondering about how to make a difference in the world. Green jobs are one path. We’re not talking just science geeks anymore, though Energy Analyst job postings increased a whopping 88% in 2020. Sales Specialists in green industries also had a huge increase, by 62% last year. In recognition of Earth Day month, I’m featuring recent LinkedIn data on green jobs and green skills. The data is simply a snapshot of what is going on, not outlook predictions. For this, naturally the US Department of Labor is the go-to source, but it features only traditional green jobs, such as Solar Voltaric Installers growing by 50.5% in the 2019-2029 period.
LinkedIn conducted an analysis of thousands of postings in 2020 related to green-economy skills. The jobs were classified as either traditional green jobs or non-traditional green jobs. The results showed that there were 2.6 non-traditional green job postings for every traditional green job.
A March 2021 article in GreenBiz featured LinkedIn’s chief Economist, Karin Kimbrough. She shared, “We identified about 800 ‘core’ green skills and more than 300 green-related skills across 12 categories.” The fastest growing green skills are in ecosystem management, environmental policy and sustainable procurement.
Some examples cited of trends in skills growth among less traditional “green” areas include:
- In environmental finance, sustainable investment is increasingly being reported by investment analysts and portfolio managers.
- In pollution prevention, knowledge of sustainable fashion is increasingly popular among designers, stylists, and sales staff.
Keep in mind that an increase in self-reporting of green skills may indicate candidate interest as much as job requirements or growth. The most trusted source for job outlook is the U.S. Department of Labor; however, the focus of green job reporting is on traditional science-related jobs.
In the April 21, 2021 Department of Labor blogpost, Green Jobs with the Most Projected Openings, 2019-2029, here are the nine highlighted jobs, four with faster than average growth:
- Environmental scientists and specialists
- Chemists
- Hazardous materials removal workers
- Environmental science and protection technicians
- Environmental Engineers
- Geoscientists
- Biochemists and biophysicists
- Solar photovoltaic installers
- Conservation Scientists
Click here to link to the article which contains salary and outlook information as well as links to career descriptions.
Click here for a link I like that includes a few sustainability careers without technical requirements, including:
- Ecotourism Guide
- Environmental Public Relations Specialist
- Zoning Technician
There are green job opportunities at all education and income levels. Remember that besides outlook, grounded career decision-making also includes looking at interests, skills, values and personality traits. Career counseling can help a person explore and sort through the wide range of options to make a difference in the greening world!
Photo by permission of Pexels by Arthur Ogleznev – 1296265
