 "What are green skills and which sectors are hiring for them right now?")
With India’s goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070, the need for green jobs and subsequently the demand for green skills have increased in the country. In a time of mass layoffs, green skills may be the jobs of the future.
As industries in India shift towards more resource-conscious and eco-friendly goals, the demand for people with green skills is going up. Here is everything you need to know about green skills, jobs, and growing sectors.
What are green skills?
Green skills are a set of knowledge, abilities, competencies, and values needed to actively develop and maintain a sustainable and environmentally-conscious economy and society, according to UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). These particular skills would enable individuals to contribute to sustainable development and growth.
This is especially important as economies transition towards a more sustainable mode of consumption and production, especially in developing countries.
According to the green general skill index by the UNIDO, there are four important skill sets that are essential for green jobs. There are:
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Engineering and technical skills: These skills involve design, construction, and the assessment of the technology that is needed for eco-building, renewable energy design, and research and development (R&D) projects centered around saving energy.
Science skills: These skills are based on broader knowledge of science that can contribute to innovation in every stage of value chains and within the utility sector that provides essential resources such as water, electricity, and sewage services.
Operational management skills: To support green actions and activities, a complete organisational restructuring would be required. These skills include sales engineers, climate change analysts, sustainability specialists, chief sustainability officers, and transportation planners.
Monitoring skills: These skills are a part of the technical and legal areas of a business. It includes environmental compliance inspectors, nuclear monitoring technicians, emergency management directors, and legal assistants.
Among soft skills, design thinking, creativity, adaptability, resilience, and empathy are key. These skills are also considered the skills of the future or 21st-century skills and are considered necessary for the fourth industrial revolution. The fourth industrial or Industry 4.0 represents rapid changes in technology and its impact on society, industry and governance.
Industries with green skill demand in India
Around 84 per cent of companies in India Inc want to hire people with green skills. Sectors that will drive demand for green jobs include renewable energy, information technology, electric vehicles, healthcare, and banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sectors
ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey released by workforce solutions company ManpowerGroup released a survey on Friday, June 3 that showed that at 89 per cent, the IT sector showed the highest demand for green skills in India. This was followed by the transport, logistics & automotive, and energy & utility sectors at 88 per cent.
Among the 3,020 companies that participated in the survey, the consumer goods & services sector showed the least amount of interest in hiring employees with green skills at 76 per cent.
Companies believe that hiring candidates with green skills will help the corporation create eco-friendly policies as well as design and create more environmentally-conscious and sustainable products.
Within the upcoming quarter alone, 47 per cent of IT and technology sector employers reported their intention to hire people with green skills. This is followed by the finance, real estate, and insurance sector which has a net employment outlook of 41 per cent, and health and life sciences at 40 per cent.
Most in-demand green jobs in India
According to an earlier report by Business Standard on June 1, environment, social, and governance (ESG) analysts will see the highest growth, by 30 – 55 per cent. These jobs involve sustainability reporting, quantitative skills, and an understanding of assets and financial markets.
The report by NLB Services, also added that job roles such as sustainability manager, social impact manager, governance and compliance specialist, renewable energy expert, and climate change adaptation planner will see a growing demand of 15-20 per cent.
Green supply chain management is also expected to grow by 10-15 per cent per year.
Government Initiatives for green jobs
The Skill Council for Green Jobs and Sattva Consulting (SSCGJ) was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2015 with the aim to identify skills required in the green business sector, train candidates, and facilitate green business growth.
SSCGJ has reportedly trained more than 530,000 candidates till date. The council has an online job portal and is now looking to digitise its training programmes through the ‘Green India Portal’.
In its April newsletter, SSCGJ also announced a collaboration with German industries to promote the development of skills and job opportunities in the field of renewable energy.
After a German report indicated that they would need more than 200,000 skilled labour needed in industries like solar power installation, heating engineering, or construction, the country may relax their immigration laws to fill these energy-transition positions. According to the announcement, they have identified India as the “potential countries where they can get trained professionals to cater to the growing demand of their solar installation” and want 27,000 trained professionals in solar by the end of 2030.