The demand for green jobs grew 31% in May 2022, with the revolution of clean energy and sustainable practices globally. Many new sectors have embarked on a journey towards green environments such as hospitality, travel, and auto. There are close to half a million jobs, directly or indirectly related to the green economy, on the platform, which is an all-time high, shows the Monster.com data. The most in-demand skill-sets are climate change, waste management, sustainability and environmental management.
Sekhar Garisa, Monster India CEO, APAC & Gulf, says the narrative for sustainability practices has shifted, with the climate crisis and pandemic urging one to think differently. “Today, the macro sentiment around environmental safety is paramount and more and more companies have become socially conscious in their activities, striving towards a sustainable future,” he says.
Changes are happening across the board. Policymakers, investors, and business leaders are shifting priorities towards a green stride, says Garisa. India, too, has seen a significant shift. Over half a million green jobs are being posted by companies online, shows the data. “There is still room for this market to mature, and we expect to see improved growth across green segments in the coming months,” he says.
So where are the jobs in India? A bulk of the jobs lie in traditionally green industries such as EV and renewable energy, but segments such as construction, engineering, manufacturing, food farming and packaging are also seeing a rise in demand for green jobs. “Organic farming is a segment that employs many as the market has grown at a considerable rate owing to rising awareness on food consumption patterns and the growth of the organic food industry in India,” says the report.
Environment service and waste management-related jobs have grown 458% month-on-month in May. Pharma & Biotech (up 54%) and KPO & Analytics (up 42%) have also exhibited positive trends for green jobs hiring, shows the Monster.com data.
Roles such as environment officer, sustainability specialist, energy analyst, design engineer, impact assessment officer, ESG advisor, waste management analyst, and hydraulic mechanical engineer, majorly in metro cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, are in demand, shows data. Most companies, as per the data, are hiring across experience levels of 2-4 years.
The overall job scenario on the national front is, however, "hugely disappointing", shows the latest data by the private think tank CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy). Employment in June was the lowest in the past 12 months, shows the data. "Employment fell by a massive 13 million from 404 million in May to 390 million. This is the biggest fall in employment during a non-lockdown month. Employment had risen by 8 million during April and May 2022. The fall in May has more than wiped out this gain. In fact, employment in June was the lowest in the last 12 months, i.e. since July 2021," says Mahesh Vyas, CEO, CMIE.
