The role of the business leader in closing the green skills gap

With global leaders working together to discuss a greener future, it has raised more questions about one specific challenge – achieving our net zero goals can only happen if we have the available talent with the necessary skills. New insights from LinkedIn have highlighted that we face a significant shortage of green talent who will support us on our journey towards a sustainable future.

The insights from the LinkedIn report highlighted that we face a significant shortage of green talent to support our path towards a sustainable future. The latest data indicates that green job postings increased by nearly twice the rate of rising green talent between 2022 and 2023, and only one in eight workers in the UK currently have the necessary green skills. The study interprets green skills as contributions to decreasing pollution or protecting resources, like climate action mitigation and sustainable procurement. The imbalances between the demand and talent with green skills are accentuated by gender disparity.

Women remain underrepresented by the green economy, with data showing they make up only a little over 30% of professionals in green industries, compared to 44% in other sectors. This gap extends even further in leadership roles, with women making up only 20% of VP roles and 21% of C-Suite positions in renewable energy markets worldwide. To improve the widening skills gap, HR and learning and development leaders will play a critical role in developing green skills within their company and ensuring the balance of opportunities for men and women improves.

The challenge is that while businesses continue hiring for green positions, in many cases, these are new roles, and there aren’t enough people with the skills to do these jobs. With the demand for green talent exceeding the growth of green skills, we will continue to see employers focusing on hiring and how they can train and develop professionals with the skills required for emerging and in-demand roles. To achieve a more green and sustainable future, employers will increasingly become educators, training individuals in green jobs through tailored programmes and implementing upskilling to support people’s transition into green jobs. Energy provider E.ON is one example of an employer that enables employees to secure access to green skills from entry-level to senior leadership. EOn UK understands that nearly 50% of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 will choose an opportunity to pursue a green job over taking a traditional path of higher education. Businesses must provide the relevant training and learning programs to facilitate this shift.

There is no definitive solution to this challenge, but clear actions associated with training and development can support the accelerated move to a greener future. Another way to support this transition is for business leaders to take the time to develop a thorough understanding of the skills businesses require to achieve their climate goals. By doing so, companies can implement customised and targeted reskilling plans and on-the-job training for their employees. Training and reskilling will be essential to reduce the gender gap in green industry roles. While women have been entering the green talent pool at an accelerated rate than men over the last few years, data suggest that the rate of change is too slow, and the green gender gap is continuing to widen. This gap is a significant issue as reaching our net zero goals will require an entire economic approach.

Tackling the talent shortage and levelling the playing field means businesses must focus on upskilling their employees and creating inclusive development plans, enabling everyone the opportunity to learn and develop. While there are challenges to entering green jobs, business leaders can tackle these barriers and reduce the green skills gap by creating a detailed understanding of the skills their business requires to achieve their climate goals.