There is a growing number of jobs requiring ‘green skills’, a major labour market study has found.
A study by IDA Ireland in collaboration with LinkedIn and Microsoft shows a 22.1% spike in Irish job postings requiring green skills.
LinkedIn Ireland’s Country Manager Sue Duke told Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam that these findings show how the job market is adapting for sustainability.
“All across the board we’re seeing these jobs make that leap to becoming more sustainable,” she said.
Construction
Ms Duke said the construction industry is one sector that needs to act in accordance with sustainable principles.
“We have got to get right if we’re going to make this transition,” she said.
“[Construction] is one of the largest emitting sectors, so it’s very crucial that we start transitioning both the existing building stock as well as buildings that have not yet been built to green buildings.”
Ms Duke said the industry is beginning to shift.
“We’re starting to see this big surge in the demand for green skills as we see construction starting to embrace this transition, starting to hardwire these green skills into their current activities,” she said.
The shift towards green practices will be essential if Ireland is to meet the 2050 targets set out by the European Green Deal.
“We know that sectors right across the economy need to meet these targets and that’s why we are seeing these companies in construction as well as all these other sectors going out and looking for these workers,” Ms Dukes said.
“The demand for these skills is real and companies are starting to get to grips with those real commitments and looking to deliver on them in a very real way.“
Upskilling
Ms Dukes advised workers to train in green practices in order to match employers’ demands.
“This is where the jobs are opening up – this is where the opportunities are opening up,” she said.
“It is very good for workers to go out and get these skills not only because that’s going to help the planet but that’s going to be very good for your future employability as well.”
The report from IDA Ireland comes less than a week after the Climate Change Advisory Council said an urgent change is required in order for Ireland to meet the 2040 climate targets.
Feature image shows a worker on a wind farm, Alamy.