Organisations across the world are waking up to the importance of sustainability and environmental responsibility. There has been a rise in demand for chief sustainability officers, sustainability engineers, environmental managers, environmental auditors and renewable energy engineers. In times to come, environmental consultants and green building consultants will also be much sought after. This is because, the world needs professionals who can integrate sustainable practices into business operations.
According to a report by NLB Services, over the past six years, more organisations have embraced sustainable and environment-friendly practices than ever before. The share of green talent has also gone up by about five per cent, to 15 per cent. India will have 30 million green jobs in the next 25 years, with more organisations getting serious about their environmental social and governance (ESG) agenda! That means, demand for green talent is also rising. The demand presently is more than the supply, as the talent pool is limited. Therefore, there is a demand-supply gap of about 40 to 50 per cent.
Professionals with a background in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) will be required. Skills in data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data science will be sought after. Additionally, talent will be expected to have knowledge of energy management, global energy markets, regulatory policies and recycling.
Clearly, green talent is what India will seek to help fulfil its sustainability goals in the future.